List of Virtues and Vices

THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

Form our relationship to God

Infused, not gained by effort

Faith: accepting the Word of God

Acts: Internal Act: to believe; External Act: to profess

Vices against Faith

Unbelief (decision not to believe), Heresy (stubborn contradiction of faith), Apostasy

Blasphemy

Sins, conditions contrary to Faith: anxiety

Hope: striving for heaven

Charism: Fear of the Lord

Servile fear

Filial fear

Worldly fear

Vices against Hope:

Despair -(abandonment of hope); Presumption  (insult God by presuming that God will save us in spite of our evil will)

Charity: friendship with God.  Disposes the will to act easily and with delight in serving God.

Effects of Charity:

Joy (opposed by sloth, envy)

Peace (opposed by discord (vainglory makes them cling to their own will), contention (bickering, arguing unreasonably; vainglory makes them cling to their own opinion), schism (breaking away, destroying unity), quarreling & strife

Mercy

Good deeds, scandal (bad example, which upsets someone who is unsettled in clinging to the good

Almsdeeds,

Fraternal Correction

Always an obligation if a discreet word could lead a sinner to repentance

Is an act of justice by an authority; an act of charity by peer.

Is not to be done to cover one’s own sins; yet does not require one be sinless (cf. the “Good Thief”)

Order (Mt 18:15):  1) privately; 2) with one or two others; 3) publicly

Charism: Wisdom

Vices against Charity: Sloth, Hatred

Capital Vices and their Daughters

Pride - Summa Theologiae SS Q 162 A 4 Obj 1

"There are four marks by which every kind of pride of the arrogant betrays itself;

· they think that their good is from themselves,

· they believe it to be from above, yet they think that it is due to their own merits;

· they boast of having what they have not,

· despise others and wish to appear the exclusive possessors of what they have."

St. Gregory,  (Moral. xxiii, 6):

Capital Vices -42- Daughters

Pride/Vainglory -7-Summa Theologiae SS Q 132 A 5 Thes

disobedience, boastfulness, hypocrisy, contention, obstinacy, discord, and love of novelties

Envy -5-Summa Theologiae SS Q 36 A 4 Obj 3

hatred, tale-bearing, detraction, joy at our neighbor's misfortunes, and grief for his prosperity.

Anger -6-Summa Theologiae SS Q 158 A 7 Obj 1

quarreling, swelling of the mind, contumely, clamor, indignation and blasphemy.

Sloth -6-Summa Theologiae SS Q 35 A 4 Obj 2

malice, spite, faint-heartedness, despair, sluggishness in regard to the commandments, wandering of the mind after unlawful things.

Avarice -7-Summa Theologiae SS Q 118 A 8 Thes

treachery, fraud, falsehood, perjury, restlessness, violence, and insensibility to mercy

Gluttony -5-Summa Theologiae SS Q 148 A 6 Obj 1

unseemly joy, scurrility, uncleanness, loquaciousness, and dullness of mind as regards the understanding.

Lust -8-Summa Theologiae SS Q 153 A 5 Obj 1

blindness of mind, thoughtlessness, inconstancy, rashness, self-love, hatred of God, love of this world and abhorrence or despair of a future world.

CARDINAL VIRTUES

Prudence: knowing how to act

Parts & helps:

memory, understanding, docility, shrewdness, reason, foresight, circumspection, caution

The Ten Commandments are all directed to Prudence

Charism: Counsel - divine advice and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The way to go.

Vices: Imprudence. Most all due to disordered desire for pleasure.

Precipitation - rushing into action

Thoughtlessness - contempt or negligence of right judgment

Inconstancy - letting go of a good resolution.

Negligence - lack of due care

Fleshly prudence - seems prudent but only for fleshly goal.

Craftiness, guile, fraud, over-anxious about material things.

Justice: rendering to everyone what is their due

Judgment (an authoritative statement about what is right), Restitution

Acts: Devotion, Prayer

Virtues Related to Justice

Religion: Giving God proper due

Acts of Religion: Adoration, sacrifice, oblations (offerings), tithes, vows, oaths, adjuration (demand an oath), praise

Vices opposed: superstition ( idolatry, divinations, magic, charms, fortunetelling)

Sins: irreligion: tempting God, sacrilige (misuse of what is sacred), simony (buying or selling something spiritual)

Piety: show deference, honor and veneration to those having a place of excellence

virtue of Observance: giving honor and respect to those in positions of dignity

Gift of piety: filial relation to honor God as Father.

Obedience - conforming one’s conduct to the command of a superior. Disobedience is essentially contempt of a just command or rule.

Gratitude: acknowledgment of favors by graciousness in receiving them, and by the thankful disposition of the heart.  We are to render thanks to every benefactor, by the measure of their goodwill in giving it, not the size of the gift. Gratitude exceeds the favor received. Opposed to ingratitude: failure to return a favor, or express thanks, or notice it at all.

Charity in Devotion: Give service to God. Gives us joy.

Vengeance: giving corrective punishment to remove harm and prevent it in future.

Truthfulness

Vices opposed: lying, hypocrisy, boasting, irony (pretending not to have good qualities)

Friendliness

Vices opposed: flattery, quarreling

Generosity

Vices opposed: covetousness, prodigality (careless wasting of riches)

Equity - applying well a general law to a special case

Charism of Piety

Injustice: witholding what is one’s right; but can only be suffered against one’s will.

Respect of persons - favoritism; murder, mutilation, theft, robbery, unjust accusation, reviling (dishonoring a person), backbiting (secret injuring of one’s name), whispering (gossip), derision (laughing to scorn), cursing, cheating, usury (charging excessive interest)

Fortitude: withstanding the greatest difficulties

withstanding the greatest difficulties that block the goal. It overcomes the paralysis of fear, and moderates daring. Essentially, overcomes death. Martrydom is an act of fortitude.

Parts of Fortitude: magnificence (high goals with noble purpose); confidence, firm hope; patience; perseverance

Charism of Fortitude: moves one to be steady with confidence in danger and to desire virtue and works of justice.

Virtues Related to Fortitude:

Magnanimity (greatness of soul) - desiring, possessing, and showing high and true honors;

Magnificence (doing great things for God in quality, quantity, value, dignity); which is opposed to meanness (trying to do little when lots is called for, or being cheap);

Patience (due to love of God, bearing up to evils that make one sad and break their spirit);

Perseverance (hold steadily to a good purpose; opposed by softness, stubborness)

Vices contrary to Fortitude:

 timidity or cowardliness, insensibility to fear (pride or lack of love), foolhardiness (overbold, unreasonable daring); presumption, ambition; vainglory (praise for something or someone unworthy, or unrelated to God); faintheartedness (refusing to face difficulties one actually has the strength to conquer)

Temperance: acting in accord with reason

acting in accord with reason, controlling desires and pleasures

Parts of Temperance: shamefacedness (keeping from shame of intemperance) and honesty, which brings beauty to the soul.

Virtues related to Temperance:

Abstinence (giving up certain kinds of food), opposed to gluttony (indulgence in pleasures of the palate; a capital sin)

Fasting (refraining from eating; useful for: controlling lusts of the flesh; freeing the mind from bodily concerns to contemplate heavenly things; penance);

Sobriety; opposed to drunkenness

Chastity; opposed to Lust, a capital sin;  virginity (not a condition of the body but the integrity of the flesh and a consecration to God); Continence (steadfast resistance of sexual desires), opposed to Incontinence (impulsive and weak surrender to evil desires);

Clemency (moderates anger of one having authority), Meekness (moderates anger in one’s own soul); opposed to Anger (not just the emotion, but a desire for revenge, a capital sin); Cruelty (hardness of heart);

Modesty (regulates mild desires); Humility (moderates impulsive or strong desires), opposed to Pride, a capital sin.

Vices opposed to Temperance:

Intemperance (being childish);