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Show 181: The Different Kinds of Christian Virtue · The Uncensored Catholic

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Speaker 1: A Hey, y'all, welcome to the Today's show. We will
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continue today with our discussion on virtue, but first, as usually,
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we will start with radio replies. And the person who
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has been questioning the priests today has been asking about
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the term Roman Catholic and some reason Protestants get all
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hung up on that, like your Roman Catholic? What does
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that mean? I mean, you know, and they did well anyway.
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I mean, if you said you were Byzantine Catholic, I
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guess they'd probably get all worked up about that too.
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I don't know, but they seem to have this like
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hatred of Rome, and it's ridiculous. If anyone had a
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reason to hate Rome, it would have been the early
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Christians when Rome was pagan and persecuting Christians. Certainly not
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after Rome became the head of the Holy Roman Empire
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that spread Christianity throughout the entire world. I mean, had
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it not been for Rome, there'd be no Lutheran Church,
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no Anglican Church, no Methodist Church, or Presbyterian Church or
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Baptist Church. Because all those nations were those which, as began,
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were Christianized by Rome. So whatever anyway, the person says,
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scripture mentions neither of the word Roman nor Catholic in
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connection with Christ Church. And they answer, it is not
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a question of a name, but a thing. And the
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universal scriptural society now known as the Catholic Church is
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most clearly described in scripture. Christ said clearly that his
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church should be one fold under one shepherd, the fold
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embracing all nations, the shepherd being Saint Peter and his successors.
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Either the Catholic Church is the one church Christ established,
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or his church has altogether ceased to exist. Person says,
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we Protestant say, I believe in one holy Catholic Church
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when we recite the Creed, and they answer, the recitation
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of the formula does not make one a member of
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the true Church. A professional belief in America would not
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make a man an American citizen. Citizenship in the Catholic
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Church involves actual reception into that church and submission to
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her authority. And the person asked, would you say that
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Christ himself was Catholic? And they answered yes. The founder
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of the Catholic Church was certainly a Catholic, and history
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proofs that Christ founded the Catholic Church and identified it
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with himself. Thus, Saint Paul says, God hath made him
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head over all the Church, not churches, which is His
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body and the fullness of Him who was filled all
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in all Ephesians one two through twenty three. The person says,
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how could Christ be Catholic when he existed before the church?
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And they answer, his pre existence did not prevent his
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founding a church and identifying it with himself as the
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son of God. He existed before incarnation, but that did
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not prevent him from being man from the moment of
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his incarnation. And he says, how could Christ be subject
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to the Bishop of Rome? And they answer, the founder
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of the church is not subject to the church he founded. Rather,
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the church he founded is subject to him. And the
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Church of which the Bishop of Rome is a supreme
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head on earth is the only church which is subject
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to the authority of Christ that can truly be called his.
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From our point of view, the act of communion with
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Rome became valid as a market of identification only from
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the day that Saint Peter, under divine guidance, definitely established
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his see at Rome. Person says Christ was above sectarianism,
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and the answer he was, and so is the Catholic Church.
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She is not a sect sects supposes section or cutting off.
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The Catholic Church has never been cut off from herself
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the sex or those religious bodies which have cut themselves
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off from the Catholic Church. And the clippings from the
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tree are not the tree, he continues, By their fruits,
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you shall know them. If your church were truly Catholic,
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she would long ago have preached to all nations. And
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the answer to the church was just as Catholic in
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the time of the Apostles as it is today by
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virtue of the divine commission to teach all nations. But
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you must give the mustard seed time to grow. You
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could hardly expect the Church to preach the God in
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America or Australia prior to the discovery of those countries.
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But her missionaries have gone forth with the very explorers,
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and to this day she reaches practically, and today she
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reaches practically all nations, far more efficaciously than any other
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Christian body. And finally, the person says, so the Catholic
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Church cannot claim to be the only missionary force, and
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they answer, she claims to be the only divinely accredited
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missionary force, the only one which has a true, innate
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and perpetual expanse of power, the only one which has
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actually gone to all nations. In fact, there would be
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no other Christian missionary bodies were it not for her
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own missionary expeditions to the ancestors of all those sects
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which later broke away from her, despite Christ's promise that
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he would never fail to protect her. All right, now,
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returning to follow Sparrago's exhaustive catechism, the Catholic Church and
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the sub to virtue, the topic the different kinds of
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Christian virtue. One in the self same virtue has reference
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to different objects and consequently receives different names. Many virtues,
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such as liberality or prudence, are lauded by men of
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the world. Others, such as meekness, humility, love of one's enemies,
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are regarded by them with contempt. In some virtues, the
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understanding is the chief factor, as in faith, In others
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the will as in temperance. The virtues that unite our
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soul to God are the three theological virtues, faith, hope,
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and charity. These three virtues are symbolized by a flame.
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Faith is signified by the light it emits hope by
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its upward tendency, and charity by the heat it radiates.
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A tree is also the emblem of these virtues. Faith
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is its root, hope its stem, and charity its fruit.
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Faith lays the foundation of the Temple of God, Hope
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raises the walls, and charity crowns the structure. The cross
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is a symbol of faith the anchor of hope, while
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charity is to not by a burning heart. The greatest
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of these virtues is charity first Corinthians thirteen thirteen. Without charity,
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faith and hope are valueless, for God only grants eternal
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felicity to those that love him. The three theological virtues
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are manifested in the following manner. The effect produced by
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the virtue of faith is to make us believe in
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the existence of God and in his divine perfections. The
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effects of the virtue of hope is to make us
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look for eternal salvation from God, as well as the
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means that are necessary for its attainment. In a virtue
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of charity causes us to find satisfaction in God and
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to seek to please Him by keeping his commandments. These
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virtues are fitly termed theological because God himself is their object,
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their motive, and their author God is the object of faith.
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That is to say, we believe what God has revealed
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in all that has reference to God himself, to his being,
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his attributes, his work, his will. God is the motive
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of faith, for we believe that which He has revealed
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because He is omniscient and the highest truth. God is
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the object of hope, for we hope for eternal happiness
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after death to see God and enjoy Him forever. God
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is the motive of hope because we hope for eternal felicity,
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because He is almighty and bountable and faithful in his
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promise promises. God is the object of charity, for all
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our love sinners in him. God is the motive of charity,
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since we love Him because He is supreme beauty and
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sovereign goodness. God is also the author of the three
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theological virtues as well as the following. As the following demonstrates,
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we receive the three theological virtues to render us capable
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of performing good work simultaneously with sanctifying grace. When the
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Holy Spirit enters into a soul, he transforms the powers
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of the mind so it can rise to God with
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greater facility, and he comes and imparts to us, sanctifying grace.
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A light shines in our hearts and awakens faith and
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hope Teco Corinthians four six, And a fire is ignited
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that kindles the flame of cheers Romans five. This action
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of the holy ghosts within the soul is called the
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infusion of the three Theological virtues. The three theological virtues
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are infused into the soul Council of Trent, Chapters Well six,
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chapter seven. The infusion of these virtues has a similar
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effect as have the rays of the sun, in imparting
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light and warmth to the atmosphere. God does not force
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these virtues upon us. The freedom of will is in
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no way interfered with the power of exercising. The three
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theological virtues is imparted in baptism, and if it be lost,
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is given again a sacrament of penance. As the seed
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lies dormant in the bosom of the earth, until under
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the influence of the sun and rain, it germinates and grows,
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so the three theological virtues at first like dormant in
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the soul of a child until he attains the use
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of reason, and through the action of grace and religious instruction,
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they are developed and come into sight in works. The
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baptized child resembles one who is asleep, who possesses the
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power of sight, but sees nothing in until you awaken
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from sleep, it makes use of that power. So the
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power to exercise faith, hope, and charity are latent in
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the soul of the child until the use of reason,
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when they are brought into play and their existence is
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made apparent. We ought to make acts of the three
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theological virt issues frequently in the course of our life,
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especially before approaching the sacraments and at the hour of death.
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The means of making acts of the three theological virtues
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is to place before the mind the object and motive
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of these virtues. In doing so, it is well not
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to employ the usual formula, but to express oneself in
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one's own words. Every time we make the sign of
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the cross out of a prayer or do a good deed,
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we may implicitly at least we make it implicitly at
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least an act of one or more of these virtues.
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Those virtues which have the effect of bringing our actions
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into conformity with the moral law, called moral virtues. These
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we gain for ourselves by our own exertions, and the
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assistance of the divine graces after we have received sanctifying grace.
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These virtues are called moral virtues because they order our
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actions in a manner pleasing to God. As the three
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theological virtues perfect our interior beings, so the moral virtues
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perfect our exterior. The three theological virtues have immediate reference
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to God. The moral virtues bear in the first place,
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upon our neighbor or upon ourselves literally for instance. Liberality,
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for instance, has reference to our neighbor, temperance in eating
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and drinking to ourselves exclusively. The three theological virtues were
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infused into us with sanctifying grace, whereas we have to
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gain for ourselves the moral virtues at the cost of
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our own labor, with the timely aid of divine grace.
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At baptism. It is true our will is disposed by
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the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to the practice of
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all the moral virtues. Yet the habit of their practice
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must be acquired by repeating good deeds and the conquest
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of our civil of our evil proclivities. At baptism, the
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seed of moral virtus shoe was implanted into the field
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of our heart. We must diligently cultivate that field. If
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the seed is to bear fruit at the same time
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we need the son of God's grace. The vivifying influence
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of the Holy spirit, or our labor will be in vain.
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The principal moral virtues are in the several seven capital
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virtues humility, obedience, meetness, liberality, temperance, chastity, diligence in what
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is good? Humility concerns our honor, obedience, our liberty, meekness
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and patience, sattitude of the soul. Liberality as reference to
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our property that means essentially generosity, by the way, has
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nothing to do with liberal Politicsperate liberals are actually very
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good at giving away other people's stuff, aren't they, And
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while they become rich and powerful, not exactly a virtue,
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not at all a virtue. Okay, So temperance at eating
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and drinking, and chastity to our bodies. What is good
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to our work? Among these virtues, meekness and liberality ought
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pre eminently to mark a Christian, and for this reason
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Christ speaks of his followers as sheep or lambs, because
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the sheep is the most patient and harmless of all animals.
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The seven capital virtues are opposed as separate seven capital
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or deadly sin. All the moral virtues proceed from the
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four cardinal virtues prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. And that's
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a reference to Wisdom eight seven. Again. If you don't
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have the Book of Wisdom in your bible, go get
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a real Bible and throw away your counterfeit bible. The
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four fundamental virtues are called cardinal virtues from the word
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cardo a hinge, because all our moral actions turn on them,
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as the door turns upon its hinges. They are called
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fundamental virtues because the whole fabric of virtue rests upon them.
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They are the cornerstone of the edifice of Christian value.
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The four cardinal virtues are in separable parts of each
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and every virtue on them. All the moral virtues rests.
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For instance, moderation, eating and drinking, and meekness spring from temperance,
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Diligence is what is good from fortitude, etc. These four
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virtues may be said to be the parents of the other,
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of every other virtue. Prudence is a virtue of understanding,
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justice of will, Temperance and fortitude support the will. Prudence
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fixes its gauge upon heaven, and temperance seeks what is
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internal and employs temporal things only as a mean of
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attaining what it seeks. Fortitude allows no obstacle to hinder
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it from attaining the goal. The philosophers of Antiquity Resks
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recognize the value of temperance and fortitude. They asserted that
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to renounce and to endure was the compendium of all
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worldly wisdom. For they considered that the practice that these
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two virtues would preserve a man from sin and conduct
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him to supreme felicity. Prudence is the capacity of the
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intellect to apprehend the good things of eternity and the
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means of attaining them. That is, the truest prudence which
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can best distinguish what is divine from what is human.
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Man always looks to this final end, like a wise
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merchant who thinks continually of what profit he can make.
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The Christian thoughts are fixed upon gaining riches for eternity.
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The serpent looks out afar and exposes its body only
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if it can shield his head. So the Christian keeps
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the end of life always in view, and scorns earthly
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things or preserve the true treasure. Our Lord bids us
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be wisest serpents. In Matthew ten sixteen. However, cleverly the
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saints contrived to carry out their undertakings and obtain the
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end they how cleverly the saints contrived to carry out
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their undertakings and obtain the end they desired. Saint Paul
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displayed this prudence when he made use of the superscription
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he saw at Athens to the unknown God to afford
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him an opportunity in preaching the Gospel in Acts seventeen.
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Prudence's most important value for will is guided by reason.
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If the understanding is not capable of judgment between good
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and evil, the will deviates from the right path, and
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transgress is the commandment. Prudence is said to be the
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eye of the soul, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, without
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the light of the eye, we cannot find our way.
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Nor without prudence can we discern the path to heaven.
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Without the eye, we cannot make full use of our limbs.
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Nor without prudence can we practice virtue aright. Prudence is
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the rudder that directs the course of the vessel. Without it,
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we shall make a shipwreck of virtue. The contrary of
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prudence is worldly wisdom, or wisdom of the flesh. The
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wisdom of this world consists in discerning what will bring
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a man a temporal advantage or sensual enjoyment. This wisdom
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is foolishness. With God, justice is a steadfast inclination of
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the will toward what is just. Justice makes us willing
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to walk the narrow path of the commandments. The just
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man dreads the slightest deviation from it. The foster father
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of Christ was termed a just man. The word just
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is often used to signify that one is in a
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state of grace, but in this sense it is not
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employed here. This man is upright. He gives to everyone
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is due to God. He gives worship to the Authority's
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obedience to his subordinacy meets out rewards and punishments to
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his equal. He shows fraternal charity, both as but as
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both from within and without. He encounters opposition obstacles. He
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needs temperance and fortitudes to sustain him and to regulate
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his actions. Through temperance, man only makes use of temporal
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good things as far as is necessary for the tainment
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of those which are eternal. For instance, a man does
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not eat or drink more than he needs to support
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his life and preserve his health and fulfill his duties.
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He does not strive with excess eagerness after honors, pleasures,
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or other sensual enjoyments. He is like an eagle that
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has its ire on the heights and only descends to
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the valley in search of food. We should use his
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word as if we used it not one Corinthians seven
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point thirty one. What that everyone can say was Saint
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Francis desau I desire very little, and that little I
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desire but little. Temperance is not, however, consistent refusing oneself
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what is necessary, and thus unfitting oneself for good works.
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Such temperance likes Prudence forty two, enables a man to
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make sacrifices willingly for the snake, for the sake of attorney,
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for the sake of attaining eternal riches. He who possesses
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the virtue of fortitude does not allow himself to be
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intimidated by ridicule threats or persecutions. He is ready even
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if need be, to suffer death. On the other hand,
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he endures patiently all afflictions that come upon him. In
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this he resembles the diamond that no stone can break.
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Fortitude is more strikingly displayed in bearing great suffering than
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an undertaking great achievements, for suffering is more difficult than doing.
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An example of heroic fortitude is given by the mother
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of the Maccabees when her seven children, who esteem torments
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as nothing, and second Maccabees again. If you don't have Maccabees,
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get a real Bible. By Abraham, who is ready to
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offer up his son Isaac. By Pope Leo the Great,
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who fearlessly went to meet Attila, the king of the Hunts.
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No saint was ever a coward. The Holy Martyrs showed
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fortitude in its highest degree. There is the spurious form
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of the reprobate when a man cannot be made to
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desist from the love of transitory things for the chastisements
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of the Creator, and pursues them at the cost of
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his life. All perfect virtues spring from the love of
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God and are inseparably united together by that same love
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one Corinthians thirteen. As the different branches of trigue grow
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from the same root, so the various virtues spring from
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the love of God. All virtue is rooted and grounded
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in charity Ephesians three seventeen. Charity may be called the
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queen of virtues because it incites the will to the
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performance of good deeds. As flowers of various hues are
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bound together to form a wreath, so the different virtues
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form a harmonious whole. Only they cannot be severed for
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one another, and the bond that unites them so closely
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as charity. Therefore, he is who is devoid of charity
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toward God does not possess the single perfect virtue, does
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not possess a single perfect virtue, while he who has
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charity possesses him all, if not in the same degrees.
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The love of God may fitly be compared to sunshine.
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When in the winter the sun withdraws its rays, the
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face of nature loses its beauty. But it is quite
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possible to possess imperfect natural virtue without the love of God.
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For every man has by nature a certain inherent knowledge
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of what is good and a desire for what is good,
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by reason of which he can perform many good actions,
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and by habit acquire the ease and performance of it.
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One may also possess imperfect moral virtue without the love
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of God. This was the case with the pagans of antiquity,
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and now he often meet with people who are naturally gentle,
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or will I have trouble this word abstemious, liberal, etc. Moreover,
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one may even possess imperfect theological virtues without the love
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of God, for faith can exist without hope, and both
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faith and hope without charity. For faith and hope can
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only be lost by falling into the sins opposed to them.
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Faith is lost through unbelief, and hope by despair. He
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who possesses the love of God possesses all in every virtue,
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if not in all equal degrees. As soon as the
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sun shines upon the earth, the flowers, the meadows, all
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things once more decked in their former beauty. So when
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charity fills the soul, it will be adorned with all virtues, supernatural,
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divine virtues worthy of an eternal recompense. All the saints
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possessed every single perfect virtue that there is, but they
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exceled in one or more than the others. Job possessed
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patience to a high degree. David the virtue of forgiveness,
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Abraham obedience, Saint Aloysius was remarkable for his purity, Saint
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Francis to seal from meekness, and Saint Ignacious for zeal,
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He who is lacking once single virtue is devoided also
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of all others, for he has not the love of God,
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and he who possesses but one single perfect virtue possesses all.
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One virtue alone is either no virtue at all, or
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an imperfect one. For instance, a man who is given
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to anger possesses neither the virtue of meekness, nor of liberality,
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nor of humility, nor any other. It is only natural
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virtues that are alone. For instance, one may meet with
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an avaricious man who is gentle and meek. The greatest
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and noblest of all the virtues is charity, because it
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alone unites man to God. It alone gives value to
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the other virtues, and it alone will last beyond the grave.
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The three theological virtues hold the highest place among the
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virtues because they have direct relation to God. Charity is
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the greatest of them, as Saint Paul declares in One
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Corinthians thirteen thirteen, it takes presence of all the rest,
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as fire does all the other elements, as gold of
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the other metals, as the seraphim do of the other
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angelic choirs. Charity unites man to God. Our Lord, says
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he that loveth me shall be loved of my father,
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and I will love him. We will come to him,
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and we make our abode with him. John fourteen, twenty
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one twenty three. Again, Saint John says, he that abideth
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in charity, abideth in God and God in Him. First
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John fourteen sixteen. Charity alone gives value to the other virtues.
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Saint Paul declares that to speak with tongues, to possess
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all knowledge, to have the gift of prophecy, and the miracles,
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to perform ALM's deeds and austerities profits nothing. For all
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these are worthless unless inspired by charity. First Corinthians thirteen
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one through three. Charity lasts beyond the grave, Saint Paul
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tells us. Charity never falleth away. Faith, on the other hand,
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passes into the vision of God, hope into the enjoyment
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of God. The moral virtues do indeed remain in life
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to come, but in another and more excellent matter manner,
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for eternal blessedness destroy the perfect human nature. The perfection
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human nature has obtained. The virtues can always be increased.
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Virtues resemble. Virtue resembles in a state situated on the
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highest point of the mountain he who is ascending this
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mountain is sometimes nearer, sometimes farther from the summit, and
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there are many travelers before many behind him. For we
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do not always possess the same degree of virtue, neither
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do all men possess it in an equal measure. If
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anyone attains to a high degree of virtue, that his
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state approximates to that of the blessing of the blessed
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in heaven. Nay more, if to a certain extent he
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becomes like under God, that virtue is termed heroic. Her
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Heroes among the ancients were men who achieved more than
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ordinary mortals could accomplish. For the beatification or canonization of
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any individual, it is necessary to prove that he practiced
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the three theological and the four cardinal virtues in the
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fulfillment of his duties and the calling of his calling,
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and a heroic degree. Heroic virtue is neither understood nor appreciated,
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but rather condemned by those who do not live a
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goodly life. A godly life. The three theological virtues are
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increased through the increase of sanctifying grace. That the increase
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of the three theological virtues is possible, we learn from
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the collect of the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in which
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Church praise Almighty and Everlasting God give undo us an
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increase in hope, faith, and charity. If the atmosphere receives
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more light and heat from the sun, we see more
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clearly and experienced more warmth. In like manner, when grace
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is augmented to the soul, the power of belief becomes stronger,
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and we are stimulated to the exercise of charity. We
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also find that frequent acts of the three theological virtues
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serve to increase them, or if they do not immediately
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produce effect, they dispose the soul of great growth in virtue.
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The moral virtues are increased by frequently performing good actions
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and also increases of defying grace. Frequent acts will increase
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the facility in the practice of good, while the increase
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of grace will render the more will render the will
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more disposed to what is good. The more proficiency we attain,
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the greater the measure of sanctifying grace we receive, the
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greater will be our moral virtues. We should endeavor to
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increase at least in one virtue, for the increase of
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one will be accompanied by the increase of all the
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rest we can and ought to cultivate, more especially that
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virtue for which the exercise of our circumstance affords the
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most opportunity, and for which we have a particular admiration.
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More we advanced in our favorite virtue, the greater progress
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we will make in every other virtue. All perfect virtue
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is lost immediately upon falling into mortal sin, for thereby
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the love of God is lost, without which there can
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be no perfect virtue. He who suffers shipwrecked one Timothy
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one nineteen loses all that he has. And so the
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man that falls into moratal sin loses all the perfection
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in virtue and all the merits he is required. However
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great the proficiency attained in the practice of virtue, the
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freedom of will is not impaired. Man will always be
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liable to sin. First he that thinketh himself to stand,
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let him take heed lest he fall first. Corinthians ten twelve.
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Remember how David sin and how Saint Peter fell. Virtue
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is far more easily lost than one. How swiftly a
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stone rose rolls downhill, and yet how slowly is rolled
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up when single mortal sin suffices to obliterate virtue, just
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as one string out of tune and an instrument spoils
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the melody. Yet suffering is not of itself calculated to
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destroy virtue. Virtue is like a precious pearl, which, if
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it falls into the mud, retains his pristine beauty un marred.
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In fact, virtue stands out stronger in stronger relief in
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the season of affliction, just as the stars shine at
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night and are not seen in the day, or spices
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give their a roma most freely when they are crushed.
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The outward semilance of virtue often remains, and one has
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committed a grievous sin, But then they resemble a corpse
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for the soul the life has departed from it. One
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may therefore be extremely pious and copt and yet corrupt
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at heart. The perfect virtues will be diminished if one
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desists for the practice of good. He who makes a pardon,
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he who makes a parade of his virtue, is in
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danger of losing them. The man who carries his treasure
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openly on the highway is sure to be robbed of them,
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And the display of gold or costly apparel and bites
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the thief. So the display of virtue attracts the devil
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who seeks to take it from us. Moreover, sweet scented
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things lose their perfume with they are exposed to air. Consequently,
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we cannot avoid doing good in the sight of man.
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Let our only desire be to please God. Unless we
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are constantly persevering, we shall gradually fall off in virtue.
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Trees that are continually transplanted cannot grow properly, much less
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bear fruit. On the contrary, they are likely with there
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and die. So continual change of place a position of
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office is highly prejudicial to the progress of virtue. All right, y'all,
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we will wrap this one up here. Next week we'll
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get into the topic of sin. So look forward to
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that and remember the words of Saint Padre Pio. Pray,
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hope and don't worry, and I'll talk to you next time.