fortitude - Tuesday 1st week Easter

We continue to reflect on the four hinges of moral life or the four cardinal virtues.  Last week we reflected on the necessity of prudence, the auriga virtutum, the charioteer of the virtues because  it concerns itself with doing the right thing, at the right time and in the correct manner. 

The second cardinal virtue which we will look into is the virtue of Fortitude.  Many times we translate this virtue as courage but it is different from the courage we know today.  Today we understand courage as, kon pala-away, kay man maisog; kon lumumpat sa bungee jump, kay man maisog; kon nagpatunga sa dagat kag nalumos, kay man maisog; kaskasero sa dalan, gani maisog nga driver.  No, fortitude and real courage is different.  This virtue allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will and resolve in the face of obstacles - yes, but it is always reasoned, it is always reasonable.  The person exercising fortitude does not seek danger for the sake of danger.

Fortitude is a cardinal virtue because if prudence helps us decide what needs to be done, fortitude gives us the strength to do it.  If justice informs us what needs to be done, it is fortitude that makes us carry it out.

Last week I said, we have so many good intentions but many times because we lack better judgment we fail to do the right thing.  So we need prudence.  This time we are also reminded that there are many of us who have good intentions and they are indeed good, prudently good,  but they just remain intentions, they remain desires – handum, tani, pero it was not carried out because there is no fortitude.  Remember we will not be judge by our good intentions but by what we do, by what we did.

Today in our first reading we see the apostle Peter preaching for the first time during Pentecost.  Remember after the resurrection they all hid themselves for fear of the Jews, for fear that there will be reprisals against the followers of Jesus.  So they hid themselves in the upper room, in the cenacle.  But with Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit they were emboldened.  They showed themselves in public and after sometime they would scour the earth in order to preach the resurrection of Jesus.

Today in the gospel we see another emboldened woman in the person of Mary Magdalene.  I have seen the Lord - this is what emboldened Mary Magdalene and she would go to the disciples and announced her faith to them.  Later, Mary Magdalene, legend says, would bring the gospel to France.

The history of the Catholic Church is replete with men and women filled with the virtue of fortitude.  They were not just well intentioned men and women who dream of doing big things for the Lord.  No.  They were men and women filled with fortitude – good intentions, prudence and the fortitude to do it in a resolute way.