The Moral Virtues
Excerpt from The Groundwork of Christian Perfection
In essence, Christian Perfection is fundamentally rooted in the love of God and neighbor, as taught by Christ. The moral virtues, including the cardinal virtues, and the Evangelical Counsels, such as voluntary poverty, celibacy, and obedience, do not constitute the essence of this perfection but serve as indispensable instruments to achieve it. According to St. Thomas Aquinas and other Church Fathers like St. Jerome and St. Ambrose, these virtues and counsels help in removing obstacles to charity (like attachments to worldly goods) and in cultivating the positive dispositions necessary for the growth of divine love. They are likened to the tools of an artist or the preparation of a canvas, necessary for the creation of a masterpiece but not the masterpiece itself. Thus, while the moral virtues and counsels are not the end goal, they are crucial means by which one can attain the true perfection of charity, which is the heart of Christian life.
Yours in Jesus and Mary.
From the book The Groundwork of Christian Perfection by Reverend Patrick Ryan (Benzinger Brothers, 1910, pages 21-28).
The Moral Virtues
If, then, the essence of Christian Perfection consists wholly in the love of God and of our neighbor, what is to be said of the moral virtues, and in the first place, of the cardinal virtues, the origin and source whence all the other moral virtues spring, and which make the soul of him that possesses them so bright and beautiful? What is to be said of the Evangelical Counsels, which our dear Redeemer recommends so strongly in the Gospel? As for example: to renounce all worldly possessions; to lead a life of celibacy; to subject ourselves voluntarily to the will of another; to confer a kindness on a friend when the rules of charity do not make it of obligation; to pray frequently, even when present necessities do not force us to pray; to bestow alms, not only out of our abundance, but also out of that which is suitable for our maintenance; to fast often, even when no precept of the Church enjoins the practice; to mortify our senses, even in regard to lawful objects; to chastise our body in various ways; and a thousand other things, which, though not under rigorous precept, are nevertheless demanded from us by God, being by their own nature better than their opposites, and very pleasing to Him.
Must not all these holy counsels, and exalted virtues have their share in carrying out the noble work of our perfection?
Beyond all doubt these virtues concur powerfully in the formation of perfection, not because they constitute its substance, but as the Angelic Doctor teaches, because they are the instruments by which perfection is elaborated. St. Thomas, moreover, will have it that in the words of Christ “If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21), the essence of Christian Perfection is declared to be found in the mere following of Christ, whereby we become united to Him through Charity; and he supports his opinion by the authority of St. Jerome and St. Ambrose, both of whom give this very interpretation of the words, “Follow me.” The renunciation of riches is mentioned only as an instrument of perfection; as a means, that is, for the acquirement of essential perfection, which consists in following Christ and in holy love for Him.
Cassian teaches the same, in clear and unmistakable terms. To deprive one's self of property and to divest one's self of all worldly goods, is not the pith and marrow of Christian perfection, but only a means for its attainment.
If a painter were to prepare brushes suitable for painting, and to procure brilliant colors, combining them skillfully, and mixing them with a master-hand, still no one could call him an accomplished artist, because these things are not that at which his profession aims, but are only means thereto. The end proposed in the art of painting is to produce representations true to life: other things are but the means which the artist makes use of for this purpose. So in the case before us. The end of the Christian life and, therefore, its formal perfection, is charity, as we have already shown. To renounce all worldly possessions, to lead a life of virginity, to subject one's self to the will of another, constitute Christian Perfection, and this too in an exalted degree, but only as instruments, which help to acquire Divine Charity.
Voluntary poverty leads us to perfection, not precisely because it deprives us of the fleeting and perishable things of this world, otherwise, as St. Jerome observes, the philosopher Crates would have been perfect, and many others who have despised these things (In Matt, 3:19); but because poverty, in depriving us of riches, at the same time plucks from our heart all that attachment to them which is so great a hindrance to the acquisition of holy love.
Chastity, too, is perfection, but not precisely because it cuts off even such pleasures of sense as are lawful; else should we have to admit that those idolaters were perfect, of whom history tells us that they lived in entire estrangement from such enjoyments; but because, in depriving us of vile bodily pleasures; it disposes us to the pure affection of superhuman Charity.
Obedience, also, is a great perfection in the faithful, yet not precisely because it divests us of our self-will; for in that case soldiers and slaves would be perfect, since they submit their will to their officers and masters, and sometimes do so in matters that are hard and painful; but because by crushing the natural propensities of each of us to follow the lead of his own will, we are made prompt to submit ourselves to the will of God alone, and this submission is the quintessence of the love of God.
The Holy Fathers speak of these moral virtues in the same strain.
St. Thomas, treating of these virtues, remarks, “A thing may be called perfect in two different senses: first, as regards what is of the very essence of its being; which is the case when the thing wants none of those parts without which it could not exist; in this sense, a man is perfect when he has a body, a soul, and that union of the two by which both are made one.
“Secondly, we may call a thing perfect as to those things which belong to the qualities only of its being, which consist in certain things foreign to its essence, but which serve either to prepare or to embellish it; in this sense a man is perfect whose limbs are cast in such or such a mold, who has a certain complexion, and particular constitution” (St. Thomas II. ii. qu 184, art. 1 ad 2). From which St. Thomas wisely infers, that the substantial perfection of Christian life consists in that charity which unites us to God, our last and most blessed end; while, without this, all perfection languishes and dies.
The moral virtues, on the other hand, contain nothing beyond the accidental perfection of the Christian life, inasmuch as they dispose a man to the attainment and increase of charity, and are, so to say, its jewels. St. Jerome teaches the same doctrine in many places, when speaking of the mortification of the body by fasting, which is a real, though not more than a moral virtue. For, writing to Celantia he tells her, “Be on your guard when you begin to mortify your body by abstinence and fasting, lest you imagine yourself to be perfect and a saint, for perfection does not consist in this virtue; it is only a help, a disposition, a means — suitable, certainly — for the attainment of true perfection” (Epist. ad Celant).
And the same may be said of all the other moral virtues, for the same holds good in all. St. Jerome gives the like instruction to Demetrias: “Fasting is not perfect virtue; that is, it is not a virtue which renders us perfect, but it constitutes the foundation of virtue; it is a ladder by which we ascend to the summit of that Christian perfection which dwells in Charity alone. Fasting by itself can never win for a virgin her crown of perfection and sanctity” (Epist. ad Demetr). St. Jerome, then, agrees in recognizing no other perfection in the moral virtues, except that accidental perfection which they contribute, as being helps and instruments to the attainment of the essential perfection of Charity.
It is to be hoped, however, that the reader will not draw from the solid doctrine which has been laid down an unwarranted inference, capable of being a serious hindrance to that progress in the spiritual life which he desires to make. He must not think that because the Counsels and moral virtues are merely aids to perfection, and do not constitute its essence, he may set but little store upon these Counsels and virtues, and take but little pains to practice them. This would be completely to misapprehend the meaning. When it is asserted that the Counsels and virtues are only helps to attain perfection, we wish it to be understood that they are so necessary for the acquirement of that substantial perfection to which the Christian should aspire, that without their assistance it is impossible that it should ever be attained.
What would you say of a student eager to perfect himself in the knowledge of philosophy, mathematics, or any other branch of science, who would tear up his books, burn pens and paper, and entirely neglect all application, under the foolish pretense that the knowledge he pants after does not consist in books, pens, paper, and study? Foolish man, you would say, most true is it that mathematics and philosophy do not consist in these things, but rather in a deep understanding and thorough possession of the principles proper to these sciences; still these things are the instruments and the means necessary for acquiring the knowledge you covet, and consequently, without them you can never attain it.
The same may be said on the point in question. The Evangelical Counsels, works of supererogation, the moral virtues, are means without which, as a common rule, perfect Charity cannot possibly be acquired, for although Almighty God by His absolute power could infuse perfect Charity without these previous dispositions, yet He is not wont to work such miracles. We must then apply ourselves to the practice of these works and virtues with the same zeal which we use for our advancement in perfection. But because this is a question of great importance, it will be well to explain how a person by means of the moral virtues and the Evangelical Counsels can attain to perfect Charity, in which, as we have so often observed, the very essence of this perfection must consist.
In all handicrafts perfection is given by one or other of two ways to the articles manufactured, either by adding something to, or taking something away from, the raw material. Thus an embroiderer, by weaving gold thread and silk into the cloth, produces a piece of tapestry. The artist, by laying colors upon his canvas, completes his painting; contrariwise, the carver, by removing small portions of wood from the rough trunk of a tree, and the sculptor by cutting from the hard block some portions of stone, give perfection to their statues.
The Christian, however, ought not to be satisfied with either one or other of these methods singly, but should put them both in practice to finish the work of perfecting his soul, and molding it into a graceful figure worthy of a place of honor in the heavenly court. He must, in the first place, remove what may be an impediment to the infusion of perfect love. I mean he must cut away all attachments, curb disorderly affections, pluck out evil inclinations — all of which are so many obstacles in the way of perfect Charity; hindering, first, its entrance into the soul, and then its taking full and perfect possession. Now this we bring about by means of the moral virtues and Counsels. By voluntary poverty all attachment to worldly possessions is plucked away from the heart; by chastity the lust of pleasure is conquered; and by obedience we root out all adhesion to our own will. Hence, St. Paul, speaking of the life of celibacy, says that he commands it not, but only counsels it, for as much as it sets us free from hindrances to the service of God.
It is by means of the moral virtues, moreover, that we bridle those disorderly passions which are the sworn enemies of holy love; now moderating our anger, now our pride, at one time our sloth, at another gluttony, or again some other unruly appetite which is predominant in us.
But when one who is aiming at perfection sees that these obstacles are, if not wholly, at least in great part, removed, he must then take pains to introduce the positive dispositions into the soul, so that these may prepare the way to a more perfect love, and make its entrance more easy. This is accomplished by means of these very virtues and counsels, because they operate more easily when the vices opposed to them are overcome; they root themselves more deeply in the soul, take full possession of it, and establish in it a certain agreement between the inferior and superior appetites, which are by their very nature at variance; they beget a certain peace, quiet, repose, and purity; the immediate dispositions for receiving from God those lights and interior movements of grace which enkindle the flame of divine love in the heart, and at times cause its fire even to consume the whole soul.
We may observe that nature itself makes use of these very means in the formation of natural substances. For example, if fire is going to produce in a piece of wood another fire like itself, it begins by driving away all obstacles to its action. If the fuel is cold, the flame of the fire warms it; if hard, the activity of the fire softens it; if wet, the heat causes the moisture gradually to disperse in thin wreaths of vapor; and when the impediments are in a great measure removed, the flame introduces an extreme dryness and a fervid heat, which are the positive and immediate dispositions for burning, followed by the flames themselves, which burst forth from the fuel and change it into a blazing fire.
It seems then that nature itself would teach us what we must do to kindle in our hearts the fire of heavenly love. We must first remove from the soul, by the practice of contrary virtues, the impediments of undue attachments and raging passions; afterwards we must introduce into it, by means of more solid virtues, the calm, the serenity, and the purity which are the immediate dispositions for lighting up in it the purest and most glowing flames of Charity.
All our good and virtuous actions, ought to be directed to purifying the heart from hurtful passions and to preserving it in peace; for by these steps we climb to perfection, which dwells substantially in perfect Charity alone.
All this, however, is not sufficient for carrying out that work of perfection which we are endeavoring to sketch. We must in addition, make use of all the means necessary to bring it to a proper end. To remove the many hindrances in the way of attaining holy and pure love; to implant in ourselves the positive dispositions which prepare an entrance for it; to practice so many moral virtues and so many counsels by which both these objects are procured; nay, to bring perfect Charity into daily action — are all things hard, difficult, and painful, and cannot be achieved except by the manifold aids of meditation, prayer, the Sacraments, examination of conscience, devotions and the like (Scaramelli, Vol. I, Section i, Article i, Chap. II).