Posts Tagged ‘virtues’
Growing in the Theological Virtues and Our Hope for Heaven
The theological virtues are necessary for spiritual growth. The theological virtue of hope is very important because trust is the first part of any relationship. While the theological virtue of hope means trust in any promise that God makes us, it is primarily trusting in God’s promise of Heaven. There are three conditions needed to…
Read MoreGrowing in the Theological Virtues – Hope Means Learning to Trust
Spiritual growth means growth in the theological virtues. Theological virtues are directly related to our relationship with God. God leads us to a relationship with him based on the way that human relationships work. Sure, he could just “zap” us in to intimacy with Him. But he chooses to approach us in ways that are…
Read MoreCardinal Virtues: Fortitude – the Courage to Face Evil
The cardinal virtues help us to form our character so that we live a fully human life. Fortitude is the cardinal virtue of standing up for what is right and good even in the face of difficulty or fear. In many ways, fortitude is the battle virtue. It is the part of spiritual growth that…
Read MoreDoes Spiritual Growth Mean Being Poor?
What exactly is the role of money in God’s plan for our spiritual growth? The Second Vatican Council warned us about the growing gap between our faith and our everyday lives. As disciples of Christ, we are called to sanctify every aspect of life for the authentic† development of human life and for the glory…
Read MoreSupernatural Moral Virtues: Fortitude
We saw how spiritual growth will require us to grow in the moral virtues, including the virtue of fortitude to tackle evil in the world. We also saw how the virtue of fortitude can help our spiritual growth by giving us the courage we need to look into our hearts and to change our lives.…
Read MoreSupernatural Temperance and the Joy of Steak
Spiritual growth includes becoming fully human, and that is why we need the virtue of natural temperance. Natural temperance is the virtue of balancing our desires for created goods according to our needs. As a natural virtue, temperance exercises our free will over our physical desires. It, therefore, leads to greater freedom and helps us…
Read More4 Myths About the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude
Fortitude, the cardinal virtue of moral courage, is an important but largely neglected part of spiritual growth. We often assume that some people are born with fortitude and other people are not. Or we assume that courage is only necessary for specific, limited circumstances. So let’s begin our exploration of fortitude by busting a few…
Read MoreThe Virtue of Prudence: Choosing the Greatest Good
What does it mean to nurture the moral virtue of prudence? A big part of it is to carefully consider and intentionally move toward the best possible good. Prudence is the cardinal virtue of identifying authentic human good and making a plan to attain it. There are three stages of prudence: Step 1: Examining your…
Read MoreThe Cardinal Virtue of Temperance: Finding Your Sweet Spot
Part of spiritual growth is to live a fully human life by adopting a life of virtue. That means that we are more than animals. Animals are driven by instinct and desire. Their main purpose in life is to preserve their physical life and to continue their species. Now, there is no doubt that human…
Read MoreSupernatural Prudence: Discerning God’s Will
While natural prudence is focused on attaining authentic good so that we can live the truly good life that God has planned for us, supernatural prudence is focused on knowing the good of God Himself. Natural virtue is aided by grace, but supernatural virtue is complete cooperation with grace. There is a strong connection between…
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