Virtues/fruits of the spirit?

[Monicathree]

Hi all,

My husband and I were wondering what are the four virtues, or cardinal virtues, and gifts of the Holy Spirit? We don’t know them and would like to know them by heart and esp. in the heart, right! But don’t know where they are listed. Thanks for your time.

peace

 

[Fidelis]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (see the actual text of the Catechism for the scriptural references):

**The cardinal virtues **

1805 Four virtues play a pivotal role and accordingly are called “cardinal”; all the others are grouped around them. They are: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. “If anyone loves righteousness, [Wisdom’s] labors are virtues; for she teaches temperance and prudence, justice, and courage.” These virtues are praised under other names in many passages of Scripture.

1806 *Prudence * is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; “the prudent man looks where he is going.” “Keep sane and sober for your prayers.” Prudence is “right reason in action,” writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.

**1807 ** Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good. The just man, often mentioned in the Sacred Scriptures, is distinguished by habitual right thinking and the uprightness of his conduct toward his neighbor. “You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.” “Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.”

1808 Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. “The Lord is my strength and my song.” “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

1809 *Temperance * is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: “Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart.” Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: “Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites.” In the New Testament it is called “moderation” or “sobriety.” We ought “to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world.”
To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul and with all one’s efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence).

**THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT **

1830 The moral life of Christians is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

**1832 ** The fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory. The tradition of the Church lists twelve of them: “charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity.”

 

[Monicathree]

Thank you so much!!

 

[CTH]

God’s Blessings,
The cardinal virtues are Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance. (In this order because Prudence helps discern and cultivate the other three.)
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are Charity, Peace, Kindness, Generosity, Gentleness, Self-Control, Joy, Patience, Goodness, Modesty, Faithfulness and Chastity.

With Hope in our Risen Lord and Savior,
Cth

 

[AlanFromWichita]

In addition to knowing them, I like to see the Biblical context because I think the fruits of the spirit are so powerful.

From the CCC readings was saw 1830-1832 from earlier post, that the gifts of the spirit were permanent dispositions while the fruits of the spirit are perfections. I didn’t know that and I really like it because what I found that gave me so much psychological/social/spiritual difficulty was that I might have a kind or helpful thing to say but not know how to get it across without it sounding wrong, such as a helpful idea is seen as a challenge and sometimes I couldn’t even agree with other people’s ideas without them somehow being suspicious at times.

Then I realized that others (not even a Catholic issue; this applied to work and everything for me) had different ways of looking at things and different ideas about what constituted helpfulness, etc. In short, they were playing by different “rules” than I was, and I couldn’t read their minds to know what was offensive and what was not. I found hope in the book of Galatians, where it explains that there is no law against the fruit of the spirit. That means to me that if that fruit develops in me, then my behavior should (according to my “calculating” mind) automatically become more acceptable to others, since if “there is no law” then I figure they will protect me from running amiss from the law in others’ minds – that is, those who think differently than I do about how to approach topics.

13 10 11 For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 12 15 But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.
16 I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. 13 17 For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. 18 But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 14 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, 21 occasions of envy, 15 drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ (Jesus) have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. 26 Let us not be conceited, provoking one another, envious of one another.

Also, I saw from this that living in the Spirit seems to have a connection to crucifying my own flesh with its passions and desires.

Overall, the more I write about it, the more I realized this scripture passage was an incredible help in my own recovery from my more “tormented” days – which even now are subsiding. My anger, anxiety, and fear have greatly diminished, and people are “hearing” what I say much better without challenging me. My prayer is in thanks to God for giving me hope through this passage so that I could persevere until this “brighter” day which, a year or two ago, seemed it would never come. Certainly I have a long way to go, but I just wanted to demonstrate how powerfully the Lord’s teaching in this area has helped me.

As far as crucifying our own flesh, I had another teacher in the past few years and its name is “worldly failure.” After having a good career for 20 years and a stable family (and mental) situation, that all had to come crashing down before I got any inkling of all how to “let go and let God.” Along those lines I’m just a beginner, but the payback so far has been, well, very much multiplied.

Alan