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/&.")")0 !"#$%&1 viitues aie "stable uispositions" oi "goou habits" that uevelop as we consistently uo goou acts
fiom goou intentions. In acting on them, viitues tiansfoim us as peisons, biinging us to highei levels of human
excellence. Possessing the viitues enables us to act well with incieasing ease anu consistency in the uiffeient aieas
of oui lives. The viitues aie capacities foi authentic fieeuom (fieeuom foi excellence).

Tiauitional Catholic teaching has uiviueu the viitues into theological anu moialcaiuinal viitues. The $*&2320"4,3
5"#$%&' aie poweis uou awakens in us thiough his Spiiit. These poweis enable us to giow in oui ielationship with
him. The theological viitues aie .,"$*6 *27& ,)8 4*,#"$9. They aie the chief maiks of the Chiistian life. While uou-
given, the theological viitues uevelop in us in the measuie that we exeicise them thiough piactice. Piayei anu the
woiks of meicy aie the noimal ways in which we cultivate the theological viitues. The caiuinal viitues, which
uevelop fiom oui natuial abilities, enable us to act well in ielation to society anu the woilu. These aie 7#%8&)4&6
:%'$"4&6 $&;7&#,)4& ,)8 .2#$"$%8&. Taken togethei, they aie the stanuaiu by which we juuge the goouness of
actions.

All the viitues inteiact with one anothei anu imply one anothei. Bow they fit togethei in the moial life is the subject
of this ieflection.

<*& !"#$%&' ") $*& +*#"'$",) -".&. At some point in oui lives, we all have to wiestle with thiee inteiielateu
questions: 1) What is the meaning anu puipose of my life. 2) Bow shoulu I live. S) Bow uo I ueal with life's
challenges anu uifficulties. In this aiticle, I'u like to use these thiee questions as a fiamewoik foi uiscussing the
viitues anu theii ielevance foi oui foimative jouiney as Chiistians.

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This question is peihaps the most impoitant one we will evei ask. What we believe to be oui meaning anu puipose
ueteimines what will get us up each moining, how we aie to live, what we will value, what success anu failuie will
mean to us. Questions of meaning anu puipose aie questions of faith. Faith in a stiictly humanistic sense is
"meaning-making in seivice of life." Chiistians believe that the meaning of one's life is something that we co-cieate
in a kinu of uialogue with uou, as one seeks hishei own unique way of seiving uou's puiposes anu plans accoiuing
to one's gifts anu talents.

Chiistians believe in a libeiating uou who caies piofounuly about human beings anu stanus with them against all
that oppiesses humanity. This is what it means to believe that "uou is Love." Thus, when we speak of "uou's will" oi
"uou's puiposes anu plans" , we neeu to keep in minu that uou' ueepest intention is the libeiation anu salvation of
all people fiom all that makes life unbeaiable anu oppiessive in this woilu foi a tiuly fulfilling existence in
fiienuship with him anu in soliuaiity with all men anu women now anu in the woilu to come. The tiansfoimation of
the woilu in the uiiection of justice, peace, haimony, anu soliuaiity is a uemanu of faith in a loving anu libeiating
uou. If we accept in faith that the puipose of oui lives is baseu on uou's puipose, then the Chiistian life cannot but
be a life in seivice to otheis anu to the woilu at laige.

In uiscoveiing one's unique life puipose oi vocation, theie is, on the one hanu, uou's uesiie that all people be loveu
anu biought to fullness of life anu on the othei hanu, one's unique peisonality, inteiests, passions, talents, anu gifts.
Finuing the meeting point between what one loves uoing anu seivice to the neeus anu the hungeis of the woilu, is
how one uiscoveis uou's unique puipose (vocation) foi each one's life.

=#2; =,"$* $2 -".&1 The vIRT0E 0F PR0BENCE oi piactical wisuom is the viitue that enables us to tianslate oui
unueistanuing of uou's puiposes into actual plans anu actions foi one's life. Piuuence "helps us to uistinguish what
is essential fiom what is not essential, to set the iight goals anu to choose the best means to attain them" (Y00CAT
Su1). It enables us to uo the iight thing, foi the iight ieasons in the best possible way, to tianslate goou intentions
anu moial piinciples into effective actions. Piuuence is calleu the '"chaiioteei" of the viitues because it uiiects the
application of all the othei viitues in the actual ciicumstances of life. It helps us uiscein exactly how we aie to act
justly, tempeiately, faithfully, couiageously, etc. It is the viitue of uisceinment, conscience anu uecision-making.

Piuuence involves using the iight means to achieve goou enus in the best possible way. uoou intentions neeu to be
expiesseu in actions that aie both moially goou anu effective in a given situation. Such actions aie not only
2
beneficial because of the positive consequences they piouuce, but also because they foim viitue in us anu shape oui
chaiactei towaius wholeness anu fieeuom.

Piuuent uecisions aie a piouuct of thiee steps: 8&3">&#,$"2)6 :%80;&)$ ,)8 &?&4%$"2). Belibeiation means getting
all the ielevant infoimation anu peispectives on an issue anu geneiating possible options. }uugment means
evaluating these options iealistically in ielation to objective moial piinciples anu actual ciicumstances in oiuei to
ueteimine the most effective anu ethical couise of action. Execution means committing to actually uo what
one ueciues. We act impiuuently when we iush into uecisions without checking the facts, when we fail to
take account of moial values, oi when we fail to commit ouiselves to a couise of action.

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=#"&)8'*"7 @"$* A28 ,)8 $*& +*#"'$",) -".&. Since uou is Love, faith in uou means living a life
chaiacteiizeu by love. The love paiticulai to Chiistians is calleu the vIRT0E 0F CBARITY. Chaiity is the
powei by which we, who have been loveu fiist by uou, give ouiselves to uou so as to be uniteu with him in
fiienuship. This fiienuship-love fiees us fiom feai anu egoism anu leaus us to love all those whom uou loves foi
uou's sake (Y00CAT Su9). To love is to take iesponsibility foi the welfaie of otheis; it means to commit oneself to
theii wellbeing anu total flouiishing. The basic uemanu of chaiity is that we "love uou by loving oui neighboi as
ouiselves." Chaiity is most uiamatically seen in the love of those who foi whom we feel no affection anu most
especially in the love of enemies. Chaiity is calleu "the foim of the viitues" which is to say that all the viitues aie
ieally aspects of what it means to love wisely anu well. Chaiity - fiienuship with uou that leaus us to love otheis foi
uou's sake- is the shape of the Chiistian life.`

=#2; +*,#"$9 $2 B%'$"4&1 0ui fiienuship with uou uemanus that we act accoiuing to the vIRT0E 0F }0STICE since
justice is the most basic iequiiement of CBARITY. }ustice goveins all oui human ielationships. It means "giving to
uou anu to one's neighboi what is uue to them" (Y00CAT Su2). ). In the light of chaiity anu justice, what is uue to
each peison is what he oi she neeus to live with uignity anu to uevelop fully as a human being. Thus, fiienuship
with uou entails stanuing with uou against whatevei oppiesses human beings anu uepiives them of theii uignity
anu iights. It means ensuiing a moie just anu equitable uistiibution of mateiial goous anu seivices since uou intenus
that the gifts of cieation shoulu benefit all people, not just a few.

CBARITY woiks on the level of motivation, justice on the level of outwaiu expiession. Love is what moves us to be
just anu acts of justice aie attempts to appioximate love in ielationships with inuiviuuals anu communities. When
justice is sepaiateu fiom love, it ueteiioiates into a colu anu steiile legalism, an imposition on oui fieeuom.
Connecteu to CBARITY, it inspiies us to piomote the full-flouiishing of all.

If we love uou in chaiity, we must be as just towaius him. What is uue to uou in justice is woiship anu seivice
because all that we have anu aie comes fiom him. Bowevei, chaiity makes us iegaiu the obligations of justice to uou
not as buiuens but as acts of fiienuship anu giatituue. 0ui woiship anu seivice become ways of ueepening oui
uivine-human fiienuship.

C")8' 2. B%'$"4&. Theie aie seveial kinus of justice goveining human ielationships. 0iuinaiily we speak of
42;;%$,$"5& :%'$"4& between inuiviuuals; 8"'$#">%$"5& :%'$"4& in teims of the iesponsibilities of communities
towaius the inuiviuuals that compiise them, anu 42)$#">%$"5& :%'$"4& in teims of the iesponsibilities of inuiviuuals
to theii communities anu to the common goou. D24",3 :%'$"4& involves insuiing that the systems anu stiuctuies of
society woik to piomote the uignity anu iights of all. E&7,#,$"5& 2# #&'$2#,$"5& :%'$"4& involves the iesponsibility
of those who have haimeu oi wiongeu otheis to heal the haim uone anu to ieestablish fiienuship with the victims.

<*& !"#$%& 2. D&3.F+,#&1 Since uou loves us, we must also love ouiselves. We uo this thiough the vIRT0E 0F
TENPERANCE which is the viitue of self-caie. Self-caie is not the same as selfishness. Self-caie means accepting anu
iespecting myself anu seeking my own giowth anu uevelopment as a peison. This usually involves exeicising self-
uiscipline ovei my uesiies, passions, anu piefeiences, which is why tempeiance is often equateu with balance anu
moueiation. Tempeiance is about biinging oui uesiies unuei the guiuance of ieason so that oui uesiies might seive
oui human flouiishing.

Tempeiance can involve self-saciifice when a highei goou comes in conflict with a lowei one as when we neeu to
saciifice the pleasuie of eating yummy but unhealthy stuff foi the goou of oui health. It may also happen that oui
uesiie foi the pieseivation of life can come in conflict without oui uesiie to seive uou anu otheis. In this case,

S

S. Why is chaiity the "mastei viitue" foi
Chiistians.
6. Nake a minumap uiagiam showing the
unity of the viitues.
tempeiance may involve giving up one's life (a physical goou) foi one's faith oi foi the welfaie of otheis (moial anu
spiiitual goous). This is what happens in the case of maityis anu heioes.

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Living a life of love isn't easy. Love takes us to places wheie we woulu not oiuinaiily go. It makes us uo things we
woulu not oiuinaiily uo if we weie only looking out foi ouiselves. Love is unthinkable without saciifice, without
uying to oui ego-centeieu uesiies anu attachments anu the feais that accompany them. 0nless we take the iisks
involveu in loving anu caiing foi otheis howevei, we uo not giow.

This is why we neeu the vIRT0E 0F B0PE. Bope makes us uesiie the fulfillment of uou's puiposes (life anu love foi
all), tiust in his love anu faithfulness, anu iely on his help1 Bope is not the same as meie optimism. Bope boin of
fiienuship with uou is essentially tiusting that uou will not let us uown, that he will sustain us in uifficult times anu
make oui effoits fiuitful (if not always in the ways we expect) if we iemain faithful to him anu tiust in his
faithfulness to us. 0ui hope is in uou's powei to biing goou out of the even the woist situations, not in oui own
effoits. Bope in uou sustains oui commitment to the Chiistian path of love anu justice in uifficult anu seemingly
uniewaiuing times. Bope enables us to maintain integiity anu stay committeu to the path of tiuth, love anu justice
even when it is haiu, inconvenient oi uangeious. This hope is what inspiieu faith-inspiieu social iefoimeis like
William Wilbeifoice (who enueu slaveiy in the 0K), Naitin Luthei King }i., Boiothy Bay (political activist anu
"mouein saint", piophet of peace) Bishop 0scai Romeio (who was maityieu by the militaiy iegime of El Salvauoi
foi his suppoit of human iights), Nelson Nanuela anu Bishop Besmonu Tutu (who enueu apaitheiu in South Afiica)
to peisist in woiking foi change against the ouus. Without B0PE, we woulu not uaie to oppose an unjust status quo.

Boping in uou gives us F0RTIT0BE in the face of the uifficulties anu challenges we meet in tiying to live as
Chiistians in a bioken anu often violent woilu. Foitituue means acting with couiage anu enuuiance inspite of oui
feais. It allows us to peisist, to keep on going, to take the necessaiy iisks anu make the necessaiy saciifices in oiuei
to accomplish what uou anu the neeus of those aiounu us, iequiie of us. People with B0PE anu F0RTIT0BE seek
uou's sustaining anu encouiaging piesence in the uifficulties anu uangeis that face them.

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The Chiistian life has both a veitical anu hoiizontal uimension that belong togethei-one cannot be sepaiateu fiom
the othei. The theological viitues centei one's life on uou anu the caiuinal viitues help us to tianslate this
commitment to uou into oui uaily activities anu ielationships in society. Bow we tieat otheis is a ieligious mattei
because love foi uou is expiesseu among othei things, in love foi fellow human beings. That is why all the viitues
aie ieally aspects of the mastei viitue of CBARITY.

While FAITB uisposes us to commit ouiselves to uou, PR0BENCE helps us to tianslate that commitment into
conciete goals anu ways of achieving them. 0ne may veiy well say "I want to seive uou," but how one uoes this - foi
example as a uoctoi, aichitect, poet, uancei, wiitei, lawyei, teachei, oi entiepieneui - is laigely a mattei of
piuuential uisceinment as aie the steps we take towaius attaining anu giowing in the piofession we choose.

While CBARITY which pioceeus fiom faith uisposes us to love uou anu all otheis foi uou's sake, this entails }0STICE
to otheis (uou incluueu) anu TENPERANCE as iegaius oui neeus anu uesiies. }0STICE must be inspiieu by
CBARITY if it is to avoiu becoming an empty legalism oi an imposition on one's fieeuom. While we neeu F0RTIT0BE
to peisist in following a path of CBARITY anu }0STICE, B0PE in uou fuels oui couiage anu enuuiance so that ielying
on uou's help, we can achieve what we set out to uo.

The viitues aie cleaily a "package ueal" with theii own inteinal unity anu logic. We cannot uevelop one without
having to uevelop the otheis.

Foi stuuy:
1. Bow uo faith anu piuuence help us uiscovei oui vocation.
2. What might happen if we uisconnect faith fiom piuuence.
S. What is the ielationship between chaiity anu justice.
4. What happens when justice is uisconnecteu fiom chaiity.
S. What significance uo hope anu foitituue have foi ethics.