Concept

1. The Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues, together with prudence, justice and temperance, that are the foundations on which rest all the other moral virtues. St. Thomas says that the Fortitude is "in undertaking the good without stopping in face of difficulties" and "resisting to evil and avoiding the difficulties that causes us to be sad." Seneca said that "we do not lack the courage to take certain things because they are hard, but they are difficult because we lack the courage to undertake it."

2. As the largest natural evil is death, the best act of fortitude is martyrdom. Ordinarily we will have occasion to exercise this virtue alone in front at normal difficulty. Has the fortitude that Christian who behaves like a good son of God in all circumstances, even in the adverse ones, and that does not recede before the human respect, or rents even when living in a paganized environment, like today: "is strong who perseveres in doing what he ought to do, according to conscience; he does not measure the value of a task only for the possible benefits, but for the service that he renders to others. Who is strong, at times suffer, but he stands; he cries, perhaps, but swallows tears. When rage difficulties rage, he does not fold" (Friends of God, n. 77).

A necessary virtue

3.Today many people seek only what is their own pleasure, forgetting the ultimate goal, which is to love God. The positive divine law and the natural law are no longer a point of reference for the conduct of many people, including some of our friends, relatives and acquaintances. A fact, this, that brings to mind a phrase of the founder of the Opus Dei, with which in 1974 he revived our sense of responsibility as Christians: "we are faced with a civilization that wobbles, helpless and without moral resources".

4. Fidelity to good doctrine, respect the natural law, the law of God and of the Church, require fortitude; otherwise, also if knowing the obligations of a Christian, one ends up giving in to authentic aberrations. Therefore, people who in principle opposed to divorce and abortion, then admits exceptions and ends up justifying their mistakes.

5. If you do the will of God coast, keep in mind that from  God you shall also receive the necessary help to do good and to resist evil. If God gives you the burden, God will give you the strength (Forge, n. 325); In fact, we know that all our fortitude is on loan (Path, n. 728 - Camino, n. 728).

Fortitude in front of error

6. In front of the environmental difficulties, the reaction of a Christian can not be limited to a complaint, nor he can avoid the problems putting them in a corner to not be defiled or not to make mistakes. One has to be strong to overcome this situation of apathy and religious indifference. Our Lord needs strong and courageous souls who do not fall to terms with mediocrity and penetrate with sure-footed in all environments (Furrow, n. 416). If we do so, we will become weak beings, that any breeze can drag away.

7.  The Fortitude, however, has nothing in common with pride, because it is a virtue that, just to be such, demands that we live charity with the neighbor, the amiable relationship, understanding toward those who make mistakes, though having to reject the error.

8.  Therefore, when necessary, we need to correct, but with affection - if there is no affection correction could be accepted as an affront, because you would with a bitter zeal -. One aspect of the Fortitude is fraternal correction to a person we love and whose salvation and sanctification interests us sincerely: "frater qui adiuvatur a frater quasi civitas firma" that means "brother helped by a brother is as strong as a fortified city".

The example of Jesus Christ and that of early Christians

9. Our Lord Jesus Christ flatly rejected the devil's temptations. Then he drove out the merchants from the temple, because they had turned the holy place into a den of thieves.He zealously defended the rights of God the Father. Jesus did not change his doctrine when his fellow citizens of Nazareth wanted to throw it from the top of the hill on which the town was built, nor when his disciples began to abandon it after the speech of the Eucharistic Bread. At the end, he will give us a wonderful example of fortitude in the hour of the Passion.

10.  The Apostles were flogged for having preached the name of Jesus and got out delighted off the Sanhedrin after declaring that rather than men they had to obey God.

11.  St. Paul, when in Athens explained the resurrection of the body, was taken as a quack half mad. Yet did not attenuate the doctrine, despite the misunderstanding of those men who at that time were considered learned.

Fortitude and pain

12.  One should not get lost in the big considerations about heroism and follow instead the everyday's reality. And is there that firtress comes in to action: the struggle for holiness in current things; the generous fulfillment of the Commandments of God and his Church; the ordinary work, social relationships, family life. This is the field in which to be strong, without waiting for the opportunity to let us be nailed to a cross, which would be a wonderful thing, but that most likely will never happen in our lives.

13. This is not just to endure difficulties, but to accept them with joy. And we know the teachings of St. Josemaría Escrivá on this point.

Some manifestations of the virtue of fortitude

14. This virtue is necessary to be courageous, determined, calm, cheerful, devotees. We can say which are some of its most concrete manifestations :
* do not allow being influenced by your mood of the moment;
* do avoid complaints and work hard to improve any situation:
* do persevere in professional work, even when it is monotonous of boring;
* do smile, even if you do not feel like it, to stimulate others;
* do defend religious beliefs and the Church, without fear of making a bad impression in certain environments;
* do remain always cheerful, even in case of  large or small adversity;
* do not omit the life of piety - the Mass, prayer, mortification, the recitation of the Rosary - even when we have a lot of work.

The means to acquire Fortitude

15. The two major means are, first of all, the grace of God and the personal commitment. Grace is essential for healing nature wounded by original sin, which introduced the clutter in our powers and our passions. Let us receive the grace especially in the sacraments. Do you want to be strong? - at first, realize that you are weak; and, then, trust in Christ, who is Father and Brother and Master, and that makes us strong, giving us the means to win: the sacraments. LIve them! (Forge, n. 643).

16.  A  personal commitment it's also essential. We need to continually exercise freedom, getting many small victories in the course of each day, not letting ourselves to be carried by the "law of pleasure", but from what we recognize in every moment as the Will of God.

17.  By these means we can say, like St. Paul, " I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Phil 4, 13). We are weak, but God is the strength, that will give us, if you ask for it through the Blessed Virgin, "Refugium nostrum et virtus", our refuge and strength.

Lino Bertuzzi