The next gift of the Holy Spirit we look at is strength or fortitude which is commonly called courage, but it is different from what much of what we think of as courage today. The person exercising the gift of fortitude is willing to put himself in danger if necessary, but he does not seek danger for danger’s sake. Putting our bodies or lives in danger when it is not necessary is not fortitude but foolishness. Sometimes, however, the ultimate sacrifice is necessary, in order to stand up for what is right and to save our souls. Fortitude is the virtue of the martyrs, who are willing to give their lives rather than to renounce their faith. That sacrifice may be passive (true Christian martyrs do not actively seek martyrdom) but it is nonetheless determined, resolute and conscious.

It is in martyrdom that we see the best example of fortitude rising above a mere cardinal virtue into a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit. But it also shows itself, as the Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “in moral courage against the evil spirit of the times, against improper fashions, against human respect, against the common tendency to seek at least the comfortable, if not the voluptuous.”

With the Gift of Fortitude, a person is able “to overcome difficulties or to endure pain and suffering with the strength and power infused by God.” As with the other gifts, fortitude operates under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, and gives strength to the person to resist evil and persevere to everlasting life. This gift brings the virtue of fortitude to perfection and enables the individual to live the other virtues heroically, to suffer with patience and joy, to overcome all luke-warmness in the service of God. Fortitude, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, also allows us to cope with poverty and loss, and to cultivate the Christian virtues that allow us to rise above the basic requirements of Christianity. (Fr. William Saunders, Gifts of the Holy Spirit).