Cardinal Virtues Prudence Temperance Justice Fortitude | Theological Virtues Faith Hope Love |
FORTITUDE - This is simply the kind of courage that enables a person not only to face danger but also to endure great pain.
It is important to make this distinction between acts of virtue and a virtuous character for three reasons:
- "Right actions done for the wrong reason do not help to build the internal quality or character called a 'virtue,'" and that internal quality/character are the thing that matters. Virtuous actions are good, but if they are not flowing out of a virtuous heart, then there is the danger of selfishness, pride, conceit, and deceit.
- God does not merely want obedience to a set of rules. He wants a certain quality of person.
- In light of eternity, if people do not have "at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, then no possible eternal conditions could make a 'Heaven' for them - that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, unshakable kind of happiness God intends for us."