Our first Pope, Saint Peter, is vigorous when in his First Letter he compares the devil with “a roaring lion prowling about seeking someone to devour”. (1Pe 5: 8)
And what is his advice? He calls us to “be sober and vigilant” against our enemy, and to resist the devil, by being “steadfast in faith”. (1Pe 5: 9)
No doubt Saint Peter is calling us to practice the virtue of Fortitude, one of the four Cardinal Virtues. Fortitude sounds like strength, but it is much more than that.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. It enables us to conquer fear. Fortitude goes as far as disposing some to sacrifice his/her life in defense of a just cause. We are talking about martyrdom (and this is really Fortitude at its maximum!)
Now, it is very unique that Fortitude is both a Cardinal Virtue and one of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. So what is the difference? Well, the virtue of Fortitude strengthens us to face spiritual difficulties and obstacles. But only the Gift of Fortitude infuses the necessary confidence to confront and overcome them.
There was a time when the culture, our societies, would actually regard in high esteem the man or the woman that practiced fortitude. But now those are considered fools. We have been told that it is naive to believe in the times past of a catholic kingdom, a time of knights and honor, when people would live their lives for the glory of God. We are told instead to live our lives for our own satisfaction. But is it really naive?
Our times have changed, societies have changed, but human nature has not. The devil knows very well our fallen nature and is “prowling around like a roaring lion”(1 Peter 5: 8)
to devour the weak and the lukewarm of faith.
Let’s practice the virtue of Fortitude relentlessly and make use of the Gift of Fortitude in order to be strong against the roaring lion.
Like those knights of times past, modern days require that praying warriors be firm in faith. The human race needs praying warriors that lead the rest. We need the knights of Christ to fight for honor, fight for the just cause, fight for the Glory of God.
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