The Cardinal Virtues

This post was originally shared on my Instagram in May of 2020. It is the first of nine posts in the Virtue Series.

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." -Philippians 4:8

On my hour-long drive to Confession last week, I had the 4 big kids fill out their examinations of conscience while I began mine mentally. Normally I examine my own conscience with the 10 Commandments, but for some reason, the 4 Cardinal Virtues popped to mind. (Side note, my friend Leo uses the term Pajama Fort to help his kids learn them. PJ FT: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, + Temperance 🏆 )

As I began to pray through them, I was reminded of Aristotle’s Golden Mean which says that a virtue is the middle ground between two vices. It is the “sweet spot,” you might say, between 2 extremes.

Sadly, as I made my way through the list, I realized just how fraught with extremes my week had been. Rather than being rooted in virtue, I had allowed my passions (more on those later this week) to swing me wildly from one end of the spectrum to another.

This erratic behavior breeds, among other things, division. Between family members, between friends, and smack dab in the middle of the Church. How does that happen? How do we begin to mistrust and misunderstand the people that God has given us to trust and understand the most?

Hint: it begins with V- and ends with -ICE.

I thought it would be interesting to explore, just a little bit, each of the 4 Cardinal Human Virtues, and the 3 Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, and Charity) to see how we might—no matter our stance on current affairs—put them into practice more intentionally. Starting tomorrow, I’ll post a brief (promise) reflection on one of the virtues each day.

For more of my thoughts, click the 2 minute video below!

One last video below, on why I don’t care for the term “virtue signaling.”

If you have your own thoughts, I would love to read them in the comments. I hope you find this series helpful, but even if you don’t, I’ll have it all set for my next trip to the Confessional. 🙃