The virtue that confronts fear
Fortitude helps us not to be ruled by fear — not to allow fear to cause us to do something wrong or to prevent us from doing what is right.
Jesus Christ never promised it would be easy to follow him. In fact, just the opposite. He said the path would be narrow, that he was sending us out like sheep among wolves.
The first Christians took this teaching to heart. “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they would say.
So far, during my columns in Lent, I have spoken about the cardinal virtues of prudence and justice.
This week we turn to fortitude, the moral virtue that strengthens our souls so that we are capable of meeting our fears, overcoming our weariness, and making the sacrifices that must be made for us to carry out our Christian duties in the face of hardships and opposition.
Read more of this week’s column from Archbishop Gomez on Angelus News.