CARDINAL VIRTUES. (2020)

CARDINAL VIRTUES:  Prudence, Justice, Fortress, Temperance.


At the begining of   every year, and now of the  2020, we all have desires, purpuses, and I would like to share my own; hoping they can help someone.

It is a small list, and I will try my best to be succesfull about them, my first purpuse is in living better the Cardinal Virtues, since they help  us to be a better person. In second place let me mention that I  want to put more order in my personal life, using the best way  my time, and in a better organiced way, and third and more  important,  to be nearer to Jesus Christ and the Holy Virgin. As you see it consists in only three matters, but let me tell you, that I am not trusting in my own forces, I as every one, need the help of God all Migthty, since alone we cannot succed in any thing, but with Thy Help, we can obtain our goals. So in my intent to be closer to  God, and my prayers will include asking for his help to achive my goals.

Looking a Little about the Cardinal Virtues, seems to be indicated, due to the carácter of the other two wishes that are so personal.

It is said by specialists that all virtues are a system in wich all  human virtues are involved, and that  they are all related, in one or other manner, also they teach us that these four virtues are called Cardinal because from them derive all other human virtues. It is also thaugth and it  is a great truth, that in order to be able to live the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity, we have to perform well on the human virtues.

PRUDENCE is always mentioned in the first place and a definition of it could be: Prudence is the virtue that prepaers our spiritual soul to choose in all circumstances our true good, and to elect the means to realice it.

Prudence is the virtue that allows  our spirit to discern in any situation our own true good and to elect the means to obtain it.

So any action that is judged to be adecuate to obtain the good and  the mandate to reach it, is a prudent way.

Prudence is related to inteligence, it is radical to practical reason. It is orientd to praxis. In it we find four acts advice (concilium), practical judgement (iudicium),  precept (praeceptum), and imperium (imperium).

The first step of our prudence is to have the humility to admit that we cannot reach every thing and in all circumstances, so it is advisable to find counsil from some one that is realy prepared to give it. That will give us the opportunity to act prudently. But we do not have to reach only the prudent way to do something, we have to do it, prudence is a virtue of action, of doing what we must, once we are sure that we are in the possition to do it, and in the best way to act.

Prudence must be performed not only in the person´s life, it also is needed inorganizations. In them the colegiate decision are better that personal, due to the examination of more points  of vieu, and more persons involved in the responsablity.

Some times prudence is associate to being bold, this may seem to be a contrary possition, but it is not, audacity is adviseble in taking prudent decisions, measuring the responsabilities involved.

JUSTICE has been defined with very few words, for centuries is is said to be: to give each its own.  Of course this can be explained in more ample manner. We could say that justice is: to always respect what belongs to others wether it is  material or spiritual. ( just as an example)

Here a question araises: what belongs to God?  and the answer is simple: all, every thing. But in spite of this, the justice to wich we refer is betwen equals and the diference between Creator and creature is such, that there cannot be what we consider justice among us. So justice has its praxis between creature to creature.

St. Joan says to us (1 Jn 4,8) God is love, this is what gives us the clue to  live the just way with God, and this is in our own nature, the one that has been given to us mankind, to be created in image and similarity to God, so the capacity to respond with love to our Creator, is the one to love thy.

In relation to the justice between human creatures  we have to consider the rigths of the others and the first one is the rigth to live,  others are : freedom, property, fame, payment of our debts, specially salaries that must be proper, respect of dignity, etc. but we cannot forget that there is a legislative way of life that we admit in order to guarranty justice, and a person can even be subject to loose its liberty, and become a prisioner due to unlawfull commitment of acts.

Some actions are injust in relation to others, but are examined when we speak of the virtue of charity, which is a Teological Virtue.

Since we love God and Thy loves all its creatures, of our love of God must araise our love for all Thy creatures, specially the human kind. We must consider wrong not to love all humans.

FORTRESS is to have the courage to overcome the dificulties and our limitations. A phrase from Seneca says: “Per aspra ad astra”. Its meaning: trough dificulties to the stars. So we could define fortress as the virtue of efffort to obtain what is of value.

 It is necessary to make efforts, we have to smooth what is rough, to solve problem after problema, that is what life consits of. Our sigth should alwais be in higher objectives,  nothing is difficult for those who really want. It is part of human nature to be weak in some manners, that is the reason why fortress is highly valued  due to the capacity of sacrifice  in order to come out victorious in the pursue of good things.

The Holy Scriptures teach us that  our fortress comes from God, we alone are not able of obtain  difficult things by ouselves,  but with the example of Jesus Christ and his help we will get the necessary grace to perform adequately. Other facet of this virtue is the act of  resisting the adverse, the unpleasant, the tough, and be able to solve them adecuately. Patience in a very close virtue associated to fortress, as well as persevence. We must think of this association.

TEMPERANCE, this virtue consists in the armonic way that makes possible to the person  choosing well,  what ever is of goodness. It is of great importance that in this life we enjoy goods, in liberty, but not leting them to make us their  slaves. Pope Franciscus says that temperance is “the sense of measure”.

Temperance  allows us not to loose the compass pointing, that always is directed to God. The general objective is to obtain our salvation and be happy in so, if vice and avarice for money, power or fame hoards the life of persons, then the objective is lost. We must preserve the purpose for wich we live,  is to love and serve God over all things.

This virtue helps us to mantein the “equilibriun” in serving others and be happy about it. Who is far away from God is so with himself and only will find himself after finding God, here we should remember St. Agustin´s famos sentence: “ You made us, God for you, and our heart is not still, until it rests in you”.

Jorge Casas y Sánchez.