LECTURE NOTES: Basic Spiritual Theology PDF

BASIC SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY INTRODUCTION When we talk about basic spiritual theology, we are looking at the fundamentals of spiritual theology. There are quite a number of them, but our discussion will focus on the following: Meaning Nature and Scope of Spiritual Theology. Christian Virtu...

BASIC SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY INTRODUCTION When we talk about basic spiritual theology, we are looking at the fundamentals of spiritual theology. There are quite a number of them, but our discussion will focus on the following: Meaning Nature and Scope of Spiritual Theology. Christian Virtues Cardinal Virtues Theological Virtues Before we go on to explore the definition, nature and scope of Spiritual theology, it would be pertinent to understand the term theology and its components in order to situate Spiritual theology. The term theology is derived from two Greek words, theos (God) and Logos (reasoning), thus theology connotes the study of God. Theology may usefully be understood as thoughtful conversation about God - an exploration of God -words, God-reasonings, God-meanings. It is this idea of theology as an exploration of God-meaning that inspired St. Anselm of Canterbury to define theology as Fides quarens intellectum (faith seeking understanding). The foregoing signifies the endeavour of one who has faith to understand what the person believes in. It involves putting one’s mind to the contemplation of God and reflecting upon what one contemplates. The human knowledge of God is based on revelation, which is God’s self- manifestation. God is a mystery and no human knowledge can fully explain the nature of God, however, through theology we are able to grasp what we can know and understand in an organized manner about what God has revealed of himself. Since our study focuses on Christian Theology, our study then is all about understanding the Christian God as he has revealed himself in history of humanity through the Bible and especially in Christ who is the fullness of God’s revelation. To say Christ is the fullness of divine revelation implies that in Christ, God emptied himself entirely, and there can never be such kind of divine revelation again in human history. In order to make possible this study of the Christian God, theology was traditionally grouped into the following disciplines: ⮚ Historical theology: This branch of theology looks at the history of the Church and the various theological movements, teachings, emphasis and practice within the life of the Church. That is a study of how Christian theology developed over time ⮚ Biblical theology: deals on discovering the truth of the scripture, to understand its historical context and how it can be applied to the present time ⮚ Systematic theology: it analysis the Word of God, puts them into understandable categories to form doctrines. Thus, it formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. Such as the doctrine of the Trinity, doctrine of the Incarnation, Immaculate Conception etc ⮚ Practical theology: Practical Theology is the branch of Christian theology that focuses on the everyday or modern day implications of Christian theological beliefs. It examines  and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology that is enacted in those practices and to consider how theological theory and practices can be more fully aligned, changed or improved. It involves the application of theological truth to all life especially the life of the church MEANING, NATURE AND SCOPE OF SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY When we talk about meaning, nature and scope of Spiritual theology, we are looking at the concept or definition of Spiritual theology, its main characteristics and what it covers, that is its subject matter. The Meaning of Spiritual Theology Traditionally, sacred doctrine possessed a remarkable unity that was at once the test of doctrinal orthodoxy and a sign of authentic theology. As it were, treatises on the spiritual life can be found in the writings of the earliest theologians and fathers of the Church. However, by the time of the council of Trent, 1545-1563 giving, the changing political, cultural and religious conditions, there arose a necessity for theologians to investigate the faith more deeply. Hence, sacred doctrines became more diversified and divided into areas of specialization and distinct branches of one theology. Once of such branches is Spiritual theology which came about the seventeenth century as an attempt by Christian theologians to foster a deeper reflection on the proper meaning of Christian faith in order to distinguish it from other meanings and to guard it against aberrations. As a new theological discipline Spiritual Theology formerly belonged to the domain of systematic theology which has two divisions – Dogmatic and Moral theology. Dogmatic theology concentrates on Christian belief, while Moral theology emphasizes what we are to do in the light of that belief. Hence, Christian Spirituality was part of the subject matter of Moral theology. Nevertheless, as time went on it was also discovered that the vast materials studied under Moral theology sometimes does not allow for a very extensive treatment of all aspects of the Christian faith. As result, the idea of Spiritual theology as a specialization came about. This is to foster an extensive study of Christian Spirituality as a separate discipline. Spiritual theology now came as a term which replaced what was formerly known as asceticism or Mysticism. The Former is the organized study or presentation of spiritual teachings found in Christian Scripture and the Church Fathers that help the faithful to more perfectly follow Christ and attain to Christian perfection. The latter deals with the experiences or state of the soul which cannot be produce by human efforts, comprises, prayers, contemplation private revelations etc. Spiritual theology can be defined both broadly and narrowly; In the broad sense, it refers to a certain way in which all theological reflections ought to be taken. In the narrow sense it refers to a distinct branch of theological studies concerned with the principles and practices of Christian life. That to say, it is concerned with a life in relation to God. Spiritual theology is that part of theology that proceeds from the truths of divine revelation and the religious experience of individual persons. It defines the nature of the supernatural life, formulates directives for its growth and development, and explains the process by which souls advance from the beginning of the spiritual life to its full perfection.” it is based on practical teaching which is rooted on correct theological principles. Note that, in this definition, “religious experience” is given equal weight with “divine revelation.” In other words, spiritual theology is not drawn from the Bible alone; it comes from experience in addition to the Bible. Furthermore, Without spiritual theology, Christian practice is reduced to mere activism (that is merely trying to achieve results without being in touch with what one is doing. Hence, Spiritual Theology is a branch of theology that emphasizes living “in the spirit” instead of “in the flesh.” Thus, it is concerned with how a person grows and develops spiritually. According to spiritual theology, in order to attain “perfection” in the Christian life, one must practice vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative prayer; pray the Rosary; put off sin and serve God; and must experience hardship and suffering, including ‘the dark night of the soul. As the soul progresses closer to perfection, it must go through three stages: the purgative Stage - the first stage towards perfection. It is the period of the beginners. The chief concern of the soul at this time is to overcome passions. the illuminative stage:, at this stage the soul is making progress and have the passions under control. the unitive stage; here the soul is in the state of the perfect, here the mind is so drawn away from all temporal things. Nature of Spiritual Theology From the explanation above, Spiritual theology developed out of Moral theology’s concern for the agenda of Christian life,( i.e what to do in the light of belief) on concentrating on a particular aspect of that agendum, which is the human person’s attempt to life by the spirit according to the highest Christian ideals in response to God’s self giving. When we talk about the nature of something, we are referring to its essence, features or characteristics. A good Christian Spiritual Theology therefore must have the following characteristics 1. it recognizes that the world is complex, and within this complexity the gospel can find its own authentic expression; 2. it is faithful to the Christian story concerning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; 3. it embraces the charismatic reality that sometimes God works in surprising and unpredictable ways. We now elaborate the Features further  Complexity of the world and expression of the Gospel: In the West in recent years a return to Trinitarian doctrine emphasizing the truth of the eternally self-giving persons in the Godhead has offered hope to a world starved of meaningful and intimate personal relationships. In addition, the implications that God is not about power, self-sufficiency, and assertion of authority, but about mutuality, and equality, and love, provides vision for restructuring society to alleviate racial and sexual inequalities. In other parts of the world, an emphasis on God’s oneness gains ascendency. There is one God and no other. There is a decision to be made between faith and unbelief, between God and not-God. In highly structured society, where relationships are static and secure, the conflict between monotheism and polytheism is more pronounced. Faithfulness to the Christian story An openness to the Christian past is one important sign of a genuine Christian spirituality. At the heart of spiritual theology is prayer, and it is in prayer that past and present are linked. Prayers bring the world of time in touch with eternity. A Christology that sees Christ as present in the human community as He is in the Christian community recognizes the larger presence of Christ, but ignores the special relationship of the “bride” of Christ. It is possible to be selflessly committed to the world without being a Christian. That is the difference between a moral person and a spiritual person. The essence of evangelical spirituality is to be found in the particular way it understands the coming of God in Jesus Christ to the believer. The preaching of the evangelist mediates the experience of that truth. Each conversion experience involves a living contact with the transcendent person of Christ. The church as a community of such believers is the locus of Christ’s transcendent presence. This is not to deny that Christ is also present in the world. But he is present in the church in a way that he is not present in the world. However, the kind of piety that forsakes the world in order to cultivate an otherworldly experience is in fact a false and sub-Christian piety. It is a piety that is preoccupied with self. It lacks the quality of “self-abnegation” that comes inevitably for a true personal relationship with the transcendent Christ. Where such a relationship exists, there is a true ecstasy, a coming out of one’s self to follow Christ into the world. There are two models by which the Church engages with the world: The Constantine model: calls for the church to take up citizenship in the world in order to influence it. Yet as a citizen, the church has to play by the rules of the world. Anabaptist model: This stipulates that the church is a colony of “resident aliens” whose real citizenship is in heaven. The church challenges the world by offering a “real option” to the world through its disciplined life. Its smallness to the world gives sharper focus to its distinctive way of life. This is community of character, a people marked by discipline and cross bearing. Spirituality is at its very core. Charismatic Reality Traditional Roman Catholic spirituality has been built almost exclusively on a concept of grace working with us, lifting up nature. While it acknowledges a doctrine of grace, that doctrine has never really played a significant role in the development of the spiritual life. This grace that is “infused” implies an element of passivity in the recipient. It can intensify the acts of a person’s will. Protestant tradition has polarized between enthusiasm on one hand and rationalistic theology on the other. Pentecostal spirituality seeks the intimate presence of God. As people of God’s kingdom, they know that God is in control, and because God is in control, they learn to make the unexpected their greatest resource. Ideally, there should be no distinction between charismatic and non-charismatic Christians; every Christian should be both a charismatic and an ascetic. The Scope of Spiritual Theology Here we are talking about subject matter of Spiritual theology. The subject matter of Spiritual Theology deals with the development of the spiritual life. It builds on the findings of Systematic theology and draws out its practical implications. While Systematic theology tries to articulate the understanding of God, Spiritual theology asks how this understanding of God affects our understanding of the nature and goal of Christian life. In other words, Systematic theology concentrates on the concepts and rational formulation of Christian experience, while Spiritual theology concentrates on the experience behind those formulations. Hence, the Systematic theologian tries to understand the Christian faith by using precise terms and definitions. The mystery of the faith remains at the background as rational formulations are put forward. The Spiritual theologian reverses this scenario by focusing on the mystery of faith or of Christian life. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUAL THEOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY The relationship between Spiritual theology and Spirituality is a relationship between theory and Praxis. Praxis is a Greek word which means, doing action. It is a process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, embodied, or realized. The knowledge of Spiritual theology enhances Spirituality. That is to say, in Spiritual theology we get acquainted with the things we have to do for growth in Spiritual life, then Spirituality consists of putting into practice those things that bring us into deep union with God. Spirituality refers to a kind of life that is formed by a particular type of Spiritual theology. Spiritual theology is the systematic reflection of reality of Christian faith, while Spirituality is lived reality of the Christian faith. What is Spirituality: The word spirituality is derived from the Hebrew word - ruach, a term usually translated as ‘spirit. It also extends to other meanings such as , breath and wind. To talk about the spirit is to discuss about what gives life and animation to someone. Spirituality is thus the life of faith, what drives and motivates it and what people find helpful in developing and sustaining it. Spirituality therefore concerns a quest for a fulfilled and authentic religious life, involving the bringing together of ideas distinctive of that religion and the whole experience of living on the basis of and within the scope of that religion. Spirituality refers to any religious or ethical values that is concretized as an attitude of spirit from which one’s action flows. It includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves. In other words, it involves a search for meaning in life. Spirituality can be described as a way of life that grows out two basic components – the spirit and the word. The spirit component consists of a non-rational experiential reality often expressed in the sense of the transcendent - the holy or the real. The word component is the rational conceptualization of the transcendent experience expressed in the theological formulations and dogmas. Different kinds of Spirituality: Reflections on religious experiences are often organized into a coherent framework that we call systematic theology, Each distinctive framework in turn shapes religious experience resulting in different types of spirituality. Thus, we can talk of Christian, Islamic or Hindu spiritualities as representing different broad theological framework that mediate the different experiences of people as Christians, Muslims and Hindus. Even within Christianity there are different spiritualities that are organized around different theological emphasis; e.g. Jesuits, Carmelite, Protestants and Pentecostal spiritualities represent different ways of living out the Christian life based on what each perceives to be the most significant concerns within its own distinctive framework; for example, Jesuit Spirituality is generally more active; Carmelite, more contemplative; Protestants, more dynamically personal; that is to say, distinct emphasis within Protestantism results in different spiritual experiences; some offer a form of spirituality that focuses largely on the individual’s experience with God; others emphasize the corporate life; some are more enthusiastic, others more sacramental. Although Christians differ in their outward expressions of the inner dynamics of spiritual life, it is not inappropriate to speak of one Christian spirituality based on Christians’ experience of God through Jesus Christ, since Christians are at least in principle united around one ecumenical creed. Christian spirituality is a participation in the mystery of Christ through and interior life of grace actuated by faith, charity and the other Christian virtues. It is a lived experience of Christian belief in both its general and more specialized forms Christian Spirituality would refer to all those aspects of a person’s faith commitment that concerns his or her striving to attain the highest ideal or goal, namely, an ever more intense union with the Father through Jesus Christ by living in the Spirit. Sources of Christian Spirituality: I. The Bible; The Scripture serves as the basic source to which Christians turn for the religious language that enable them to interpret the Jesus Story as messianic salvation and Jesus himself as Lord and saviour. II. Tradition: that is what is handed down from one generation of Christian era to the next. It involves the transmission of the teaching of the apostles which are not contained in the Scriptures from one to another.  CHRISTIAN VIRTUES ❖ THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES ❖ CARDINAL VIRTUES THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES The Theological Virtues of faith, hope, and charity (love) are those virtues that relate directly to God. These are not acquired through human efforts but, beginning with Baptism, they are infused into us as gifts from God. They dispose us to live in relationship with the Holy Trinity. They adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature. Faith, hope, and charity influence human virtues by increasing their stability and strength for our lives. They are called theological because; ▪ they have God for their immediate and proper object; ▪ They are divinely infused ▪ they are known only through Divine Revelation ❖ CCC No 1813 succinctly describes the theological virtues thus; “The Theological virtues are foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being.” ❖ The three Theological virtues Faith hope and Charity in 1Cor 13 are stipulated as the most important and enduring of all virtues. Faith: Faith entails believing with complete trust and confidence. In respect of religion, it involves having a strong believe in the doctrines of a particular religion out of spiritual conviction rather than empirical proof. Faith is a virtue through which the intellect is perfected by a supernatural power of light which assists the intellect to assents firmly to supernatural truth of revelation. ✔ In CCC 1814 faith is explained as “the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself.” ✔ By faith one freely commits one’s entire self to God. The virtue of faith is not just to be kept or lived, but also must be professed, that is spread to others. In that sense, one who believes in the revealed truth must bear witness to it. Hope: To hope is to look forward to something, to be in expectation, a feeling of desire for something to happen. In the Christian understanding, hope is divinely infused virtue, by which we trust, with an unshaken confidence grounded on the Divine assistance, to  attain life everlasting. The book of Heb. 10:23 enjoins us to “hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering.” ✔ Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. CCC 1817. ✔ Hope keeps us from discouragement ✔ Sustains us during times of abandonment ✔ Hope is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul ✔ It is a weapon that protects us in the struggle of salvation ✔ Hope looks forward to God’s continuing activity of creation and reconciliation. Charity. Among the three theological Virtues Charity (love) is said to be the greatest. Faith and hope will cease with life, but love lasts forever and vivifies the others for the attainment of eternal life. (cf 1 Cor. 13:13. It involves a feeling of affection or interest towards another =. It also has to do with giving voluntarily of what one has to others. ✔ Charity, then, is the theological virtue, by which God who is our ultimate end is loved by reason of His own intrinsic goodness or amiability, and by which we love our neighbor on account of God. ✔ Love, differs from faith as it regards God not under the aspect of truth but of good. It differs from hope inasmuch as it regards God not as our good (nobis bonum), but as good in Himself (in se bonum). ✔ Love is described as the new commandment, Jn 13:34. ✔ The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which “binds everything together in perfect harmony”, Col 3:14. ✔ “Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest.” St Augustine. ✔ Love leads to community in which we help others reach their potential Although our analysis of the concept of virtue here is basically drawn from the Christian perspective, it is important to note that all other religions also advocate the cultivation of virtues as necessary for growth in spiritual life. For instance, the notion of virtue is also very important in Islamic religion. The moral progress of the human person is of utmost importance in Islam. The Moslems admit that good morals are divine attributes and are demanded of us to recreate them in ourselves as far as our humanity allows. A tradition of the Prophet says: “Let the virtues of God be your virtues”. (al-Bukhari). Righteous behaviour, in Islam, is formalized by the Prophet´s example, his ‘Sunnah.’ Both the Quran and the hadith often instruct Muslims to adopt a morally upright character.( Be good to others as God is good to you; 28:77). ✔ A Muslim has to guard his external behaviour and his manifest deeds, his words and his thoughts, his feelings and intentions. In a general sense, his role is to champion what is right and fight what is wrong, seek what is true and abandon what is false, cherish what is beautiful and wholesome and avoid what is indecent. Truth and moral virtue are his goal. Humility and simplicity, courtesy and compassion, are his second nature. To him, arrogance and vanity, harshness and indifference, are distasteful, offensive, and displeasing to God. ❖ The concept of morality in Islam centres around certain basic metaphysical beliefs and principles which include the following: God is the creator and Source of all goodness, truth and beauty. Man is a responsible, dignified, and honorable agent of his Creator. By His Mercy and Wisdom, God does not expect the impossible from man or hold him accountable for anything beyond his power. Nor does God forbid man to enjoy the good things of life. Moderation, practicality, and balance are the guarantees of high integrity and sound morality. Man´s ultimate responsibility is to God and his highest goal is the pleasure of his Creator. Buddhism equally propagates the attainment of virtues. Buddha is said to have taught that wisdom, kindness, patience, generosity and compassion were important virtues. Specifically, all Buddhists live by five moral precepts which include: ✔ To refrain from taking life ✔ To refrain from taking what is not freely given ✔ To refrain from misuse of the senses or sexual misconduct ✔ to refrain from wrong speech ✔ To refrain from intoxicants that cloud the mind. THE CHRISTIAN VIRTUES The acquisition of virtues is a very important factor in Christianity because virtues foster good Christian living. It is the acquisition of virtues that helps us to grow in our spirituality. Before we go on to expound the notion of virtue in Christianity, we shall briefly explain the concept of virtue in the general sense. The Concept of Virtue ❖ The Merriam Webster English dictionary defines virtue as a “conformity to a standard of right or moral excellence.” In the Cambridge English dictionary virtue is described as “a good moral quality in a person or the general quality of being morally good. ❖ Virtue therefore involves having moral excellence and goodness. It is a conformity of life and conduct with the principles of morality. These consist of practical attitudes and habits adopted in obedience to the principles of morality.  ❖ Having a virtue is having the right inner disposition. A disposition is a tendency to act in a certain way. Note: disposition is different from impulse; whilst impulse is a reflex action = acting as a response to a stimulus, disposition is more basic, lasting and pervasive = penetrating. ❖ Virtue is a tendency stemming from who a person is at the person’s core level; a settled habit of mind. Virtues relate to who we are as persons; our character. Hence, virtues are general character traits that provide inner sanctions on our particular motives, intentions and outward conducts. It therefore has the function of providing judgment on motives and outward actions. It is an internal reality that disposes us to act externally in morally good ways. ❖ The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC No, 1803) describes virtue as 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 oneself. CCC No 1804, states that “ A virtuous person is one who freely practices the good. NOTE: The Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church will serve as our major Source for the explanation of the concept of virtue in Christianity. THE CONCEPT OF VIRTUE IN CHRISTIANITY The notion of virtue in Christianity is not far from the general understanding of virtue, the only difference is that the Christian virtues are coloured with Christian principles. Christian virtues consist of those capacities that help a Christian to respond freely and consciously to situations in a manner that reflects and intensifies the person’s conformity to Jesus Christ. Christian virtues are settled dispositions that enable the Christian to act in certain ways that are Christ-like. St Gregory of Nyssa affirms that , “ the goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.” Christian virtue directs us toward the habitual patterns of the Christian life that witness to the Gospel. ❖ Above all, Christian virtue is a reality that is ontologically rooted in the grace of God through the atonement of Christ to envision the final good of creation. ✔ Each of the Ten Commandments forbids certain sins, but each also points to virtues that will help us avoid such sins. Virtues such as generosity, poverty of spirit, gentleness, purity of heart, temperance, and fortitude assist us in overcoming and avoiding what are called the seven deadly or Capital Sins - pride, avarice or greed, envy, anger, lust, gluttony, and sloth or laziness - which are those sins that engender other sins and vices. ❖ Living a virtuous life is of utmost importance in Christian. Growth in virtue is an important goal for every Christian, for the virtues play a valuable role in living a Christian moral life. Thus, in Phil. 4:8, the Bible admonishes that we should always think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and worthy of praise  ❖ In Christian theology, virtues are learned in the context of the spiritual life. They are acquired by frequent repetition of morally good actions. They can also be learned through good examples of others. ⮚ The book of Wisdom states that “Virtue is undying.” Virtues are lasting because the Catechism of the Catholic Church in No 1803 declares that, “The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete action.” All virtues have as their final scope to dispose a person to act in a way conducive to one’s true happiness. The happiness of which everyone is capable is twofold, namely, natural, which is attainable by our natural powers, supernatural which exceeds the capacity of unaided human nature. The virtues attained by natural powers are called Human Virtues while those aided by supernatural power are classified as Theological virtues. Thus, we have two groupings of virtues one has to possess to live good moral live; Human (Cardinal) Virtues and Theological Virtues HUMAN VIRTUES (CARDINAL VRITUES) Human virtues form the soul with the habits of the mind and will that support moral behavior, hence they are also designated as “Moral virtues. ❖ CCC 1804 describes human virtues as “firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life.” ❖ These human or moral virtues are classified under what is known as “Cardinal Virtues,” which include; ; Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Cardinal is derived from the Latin word cardo = hinge. This indicates that all other virtues are related to or hinge on the Cardinal virtues, i.e “ All other virtues are grouped under them” CCC 1805. There are other virtues such as (Compassion, responsibility, a sense of duty, self-discipline and restraint, honesty, loyalty, friendship), but they are all subsumed under the four cardinal virtues. ❖ These moral virtues have their root in the four pivotal virtues in ancient philosophy, viz; Wisdom, courage temperance and justice. From the Platonic perspective, a person is prudent when knowledge of how to live ( that is wisdom) informs the person’s reason; courageous, when informed reason governs the person’s capacity for wrath; temperate when the same informed reason governs the person’s appetite; Just when each part performs its proper tasks with informed reason in control. It is from this philosophical background that the early Christian theologians brought these virtues baptized them for Christian use ❖ The book of wisdom 8:7 declares that if someone loves righteousness, the person labours for virtues; because the person teaches self-control(temperance), prudence, justice and courage.  Prudence: To be prudent ordinarily implies being discreet, that is being cautious and wise in practical affairs. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1806) describes Prudence as; “the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.” Prov. 14:5 stipulates that, the prudent look where they are going. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, Prudence is “right reason in action.” Hence, 1Pt 4:7 enjoins us to strife to “keep sane and sober.” ✔ The virtue of Prudence is important because it guides the other virtues by setting rules and measures. It guides the judgment of conscience. With the help of Prudence, one will be able to apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid. ✔ Prudence perfects the intellect and inclines one to act in all things according to right reason Justice: In the common understanding, Justice means “fairness in dealing with people.” The Catholic encyclopedia defines Justice as the moral quality or habit which perfects the will and inclines it to render to each and to all what belongs to them. CCC 1807 states that Justice is “the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbour. Justice towards God is called the “virtue of religion.” Justice towards men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. A just person always maintains uprightness in their conduct towards others. Lev. 19:15 urges us to treat others justly and fairly even when we think we have an edge over them, remembering that we have God as the overall Master. Justices leads us to give to others what belongs to them. ✔ Justice is fairness in the way that people are treated. The fundamental aim of justice is to ensure that like cases should be treated in like manners or to exclude arbitrariness to ensure that in so far as different classes of people receive different treatment such differences should not be due to personal favour or disfavour on the part of the law makers, but some relevant differences on the grounds on which the right is based. Fortitude: This connotes courage. It is having a strength of mind and character to be in control in the face of difficulties. CCC 1808 delineates Fortitude as the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause.” In Jn 16:33, Christ enjoins us to “take courage” (some translations have it as “be at Peace or good cheer”, but the original Greek word, tharseite – means = take courage). even when we face tribulations, because he has overcome the world.  Temperance: This has to do with self-control. It is defined in the Catholic Encyclopedia as the “righteous habit which makes a man govern his natural appetite for pleasures of the senses in accordance with the norm prescribed by reason.” It moderates the appetite according as reason dictates. Temperance may be regarded as a characteristic of all the moral virtues because the moderation it enjoins is central to each of them. ✔ CCC 1809 defines Temperance as the “moral virtue that 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. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetite toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion. ✔ Sir.5:4 declares that we should not always incline to the desires of our hearts. Also in Sir 18:30 we are admonished to restrain our appetites. St. Augustine summarizes the four virtues thus, living well, that is the effort to live a virtuous life is to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul and with all one’s efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted = temperance. No misfortune can disturb it = fortitude. It obeys only [God] = justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery = prudence).