Cardinal Virtues - Fortitude / Courage - Catechesis with Pope St John Paul II - Totus2us

St John Paul II, 15 November 1978: "The virtue of fortitude always requires a certain overcoming of human weakness and above all of fear. Man in fact, by nature, spontaneously fears danger, displeasure, suffering. Hence courageous men and women need to be sought not only on battlefields, but also in hospital wards or on a bed of pain. Such men and women could often be encountered in concentration camps and in places of deportation. They were authentic heroes. Fear sometimes strips civil courage from people who are living in a climate of threat, oppression or persecution. So those who are capable of crossing the so-called barrier of fear, in order to bear witness to the truth and to justice, have particular value. To reach such fortitude, man must in a certain way "go beyond" his own limits and "overcome" himself, running "the risk" of an unknown situation, the risk of being disliked, the risk of exposing himself to unpleasant consequences, insults, degradations, material losses, perhaps imprisonment or persecution. To reach such fortitude, man must be sustained by a great love for the truth and for the good, to which he dedicates himself. The virtue of fortitude proceeds hand in hand with the capacity to sacrifice oneself. This virtue already had a well-defined profile among the Ancients. With Christ it acquired an evangelical, Christian profile. The Gospel is addressed to the weak, the poor, the meek and humble, the peacemakers, the merciful and, at the same time, contains in itself a constant call to fortitude. It often repeats: "Do not be afraid" (Mt 14, 27). It teaches man that, for a just cause, for truth, for justice, one must know how to "give one's own life"." (General Audience, 15 November 1978) Visit Totus2us.com for much more - dedicated to Our Lady, Mother Mary, it was inspired by our Holy Fathers St John Paul II and Papa Benedict XVI.