Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr.
I once heard an interview of a composer who was talking about playing piano, and one thing he said struck me: he said that for a good piano player with lots of practice, the fingers themselves, as it were, seem to learn the motions for complex patterns, so that the piano player can do them without thinking, almost habitually. And in this way, a piano player can move on to more advanced pieces of music, because he doesn’t need to practice the basics.
Well, it’s the same way with the soul. God gives us certain gifts and talents, that he wants us to use in the Christian life so that we may attain our goal of eternal salvation, and these gifts are called the virtues. The new Catechism says this, “A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.” (CCC 1803)
And according to the tradition of the Church, there are four Cardinal virtues, on which all the other human virtues are hinged.
The first is the virtue of Prudence, (CCC 1806) which helps us “to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.”
The second is Justice, (CCC 1807) which is “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.” As the psalm says, “Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.”
The third is Fortitude, (CCC 1808) which “ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good” and “strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.” It helps us to “conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions.” As the psalm says, “His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.”
The final Cardinal virtue is Temperance, (CCC 1809) which “moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable.”
And just as a piano player has to practice his or her talents in order to be a master, so too we as Christians must exercise the virtues in order to attain our goal of the ultimate good, to become like God and to live with him for all eternity. (CCC 1810-1811) Though we are wounded by sin, Jesus offers us grace to persevere in the pursuit of virtues. We exercise the virtues by continually educating ourselves, by repeatedly acting on what we know is good, and by persevering in our pursuit even when we fall short. To grow in prudence, we constantly educate ourselves, seeking God’s wisdom to guide our lives. To grow in justice, we constantly seek to know God’s will and to act on what is right. To grown in fortitude, we constantly draw strength from the Lord. And to grow in temperance, we moderate our desires through frequent penance and fasting, so that our desires are controlled by our reason and not vice versa.
And over time, God will help us to grow in these virtues by purifying our efforts and lifting us up. Practically, God helps us grow in virtue when we ask him in prayer for light and strength, when we respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our souls, when we act on his call to love what is good and avoid what is evil, when we have recourse to the sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist. And with effort, like the good piano player, these virtues will become habitual, so that we can move onto more advanced works, becoming more like God each day of our lives.
Now those are what are called the human virtues, but there are three other virtues which come entirely as a gift from God, which help us to live moral lives as his children. These are the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Through the virtue of faith, “we believe in God and in all that he has said and revealed to us” (CCC 1814). Through the virtue of hope, “we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life” (CCC 1817) always keeping our final goal and supreme good before us. And through the virtue of love, “we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” (CCC 1822)
Though we cannot increase these virtues through repeated good acts like the Cardinal virtues – faith, hope, and love are entirely gifts from God – we can grow in these virtues by being responsive to God’s grace in our lives, turning to him in faith, keeping him always as our goal in all that we do, and acting on our love for him. And if we ask him in prayer to increase our faith, hope, and love, then he will respond with more than we could imagine.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world… you must let your light shine before men so that they may see the goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father.” Well, the virtues are what help us to know the good, to pursue the good, to do the good, and to persevere in the good. And if we practice these virtues, exercising them with dedication and commitment like a good piano player, then we will attain that which we hope for, that which we believe in, the object of all our love, eternal life with our Savior, Jesus Christ.
