We continue our consideration of the virtues by studying the virtue of fortitude. Like justice, fortitude is not only a cardinal virtue but a moral virtue as well. It is sometimes called courage or strength. Fortitude is the moral virtue that 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. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions.

The next virtue we consider is the cardinal virtue of Justice. Justice, of course is a moral virtue that consists in the constant will to give God and human beings the due they deserve by the fact of who they are and by their dignity. Justice toward God is called the “virtue of religion.” This simple phrase highlights the respect, honor, worship and stewardship human beings owe to God.

Continuing our look at the virtues, today we look at the cardinal virtue of temperance. Temperance is often described as self-control, discretion or even moderation. It is a moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable (CCC 1809).

Last week we began our reflection on the human virtues called the cardinal virtues. The first of these four is prudence.

I begin today a series of reflections on the cardinal virtues. Over these weeks, I will consider the virtues in general and then the cardinal virtues specifically. The cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance (these taken from the book of Wisdom 8:7).

Last week on the feast of St. Denis, Martyr and Bishop, the following reading, written by St. Ambrose, was included in what’s called the Office of Readings. It is a beautiful reflection on the nature of good, courageous, Christian living and is still valid for our own day. The work of evangelization and spreading the Gospel is done in so many ways yet one of the most crucial forms of evangelization is Christian witness especially in the face of worldly temptation and deceptions by the devil.

The Rosary October is the month of the Rosary and this past Tuesday, October 7, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. I thought it would be helpful to encourage us all to pray the Rosary during this month, especially as a family. You offer intentions while praying like respect for human life or health of mind, body and spirit or conversion of sinners. At the end of the Rosary, you can add a simple litany of the Blessed Virgin like the one given below. Happy praying!

We have been studying the three functions of a Catholic parish over the last three weeks. Today we reach the final function, the kingly, based on the identity of Christ the king, sent by the Father to lead us to heaven. The kingly function is rooted in the person of Christ as the Good Shepherd who lays down his live in service for His sheep. As Jesus said, “Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest, and whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all.

We continue our reflection on the identity of a Catholic parish by looking at the prophetic identity of Christ and thus the prophetic nature of His Church. The prophetic identity of Christ is expressed through the preaching, teaching, evangelizing and witnessing that Christ did and accomplished while on earth. We can easily think of the Sermon on the Mount where Christ taught us the beatitudes and the higher moral standard of Christianity which is built upon the Ten Commandments yet is much more

In last week’s bulletin, we began reflecting on the identity of a Catholic parish based on the identity of Christ as priest, prophet and king. This week we look more closely at the way a Catholic parish is called to live out the priestly identity of Christ in its activities and organizations.