The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They are the gifts listed in Isaiah 11 which were to characterize the Just Man—the Messiah. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the qualities God gives our souls to make them responsive to the grace of God. They help us …
Prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude are called Cardinal Virtues because they are the key virtues upon which all the other virtues hinge or depend. In Latin, “cardo” means “hinge.” The other virtues of human morality, such as obedience, patience, humility, truthfulness, and patriotism, are related to the Cardinal Virtues. A virtue begins as the capacity to make particular virtuous acts. …
The Cardinal Virtues are prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude of heart. Along with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, these Cardinal Virtues enable us to express, prove, and grow in our love of God by implementing His plan and covenant in a practical way. “And if anyone loves righteousness, her [Wisdom’s] labors are virtues; for she teaches self-control and prudence, …
Charity is the supernatural virtue by which we love God above all things for His own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves as part of our love of God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second …
Our greatest dignity as Christians consists in the fact that we are children of God and have God’s life in our souls through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must try to live holy lives and strive always to keep God’s grace as our most precious treasure. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us live …
Actual grace is that special help which the Holy Spirit gives us to enlighten our minds and to inspire and guide our wills to do good and to avoid evil in particular situations. It consists in temporary gifts of divine light for our minds and divine powers for our hearts. St. John tells us that God comes to illumine every …
The Holy Spirit should be loved and honored as our God, just as the Father and the Son are honored. We should also allow the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. By prayer, we learn to discern His inspirations in our souls. His inspirations bring peace. We should recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit and His work in the …
Hope is the supernatural virtue by which we firmly commit ourselves in our hearts to fulfill God’s covenant and plan for our lives while firmly trusting that He, Who is all-powerful and faithful to His promises, will, in His mercy, give us eternal happiness and the means to obtain it, if we keep this commitment. These promises are given to …
The Theological Virtue of faith is the supernatural virtue by which we firmly believe in our hearts all the truths God has revealed. The virtue of faith enables us to accept as true and choose to live by the body of truths that are found in the Creeds and in the teachings of the Church, for these are based upon …
The Theological Virtues are faith, hope, and charity. These virtues are supernatural capacities to receive three divine powers from Jesus’ fullness of grace. These virtues are called theological, or divine, because they unite us directly to God. God infuses them into our souls, along with sanctifying grace, in the Sacrament of Baptism. The Theological Virtues, along with the Gifts of …