Virtues Allied to Fortitude
P. 226 I. Magnanimity is a virtue by which men aspire to great things, form great designs, and carry them out with spirit and success. This rare and admirable virtue is closely allied to Fortitude. In the natural order there are few really great souls. Gigantic figures stand out here and there in history, men of brilliant intelligence or of wonderful achievements, god-like in some respects, who have however in other respects proved themselves to be mean, or sensual, or vile, or contemptible. True Christian souls are always magnanimous. Their infused virtues cause them to aspire to the sublimest heights, to heaven and to God; and they cannot lower themselves to unworthy objects, or use any disgraceful methods. There are many such, who perform the noblest deeds of beneficence and abnegation without a suspicion of their grandeur, without self-consciousness or self-advertisement, never seeking the applause of men and seldom finding it. There are many others full of magnanimous desires and capable of carrying them out, but God does not require such service from them. He is glorified however by having such ministers of His will ready at hand; they are not without their uses in the kingdom of God, and they will be rewarded according to their aspirations as if they had really achieved. Seek always the highest ideal; do always what is most perfect before God; do not trouble yourself about trifles; indulge no selfish motives; and do not degrade a noble aim by seeking to attain it by any unworthy methods.
II. Patient Endurance is an exercise of Fortitude which enables us to bear up against the depression of misfortune and suffering. The courage which confronts approaching evils changes into patience when they have arrived. It does not deprive us of natural feeling, but keeps it within bounds. So our Lord in Gethsemani felt the natural impulse to avoid suffering, but He subdued it sternly and said "Not My will but Thine be done." No one can endure with dignity and joy but those who have learnt from Christ Our Lord. Nature supplies no motives for patience, it offers no compensation for injustice, poverty and other inequalities, to one who knows of nothing beyond this life. Faith in God and hope of heaven are the only real sources of patience. As faith and religion fail, men grow incapable of sustaining the ills of life; they are embittered by discontent, exhausted by vain struggles, and they seek oblivion in intemperance or suicide. Regard suffering as the punishment and the remedy for sin, as a meritorious service of God, a means of sanctification, and the price to be paid for God's favour and eternal life. Some are turned by it away from God; let it turn you to Him.
III. Perseverance is a very important form of Fortitude. The mere length of time constitutes a serious difficulty in working out our salvation. While the struggle of virtue may become a habit with us, it may also become a weariness and a monotony, making us desire a change if even for the worse. The prospect of labour and suffering for an indefinite future brings discouragement and apprehensions of failure. Our gift of foresight, when turned upon coming evils, causes them all to be accumulated on us in the present, by the expectation which multiplies them and makes them seem worse than the reality will ever be. The natural fortitude of man is very liable to fail under this tension. We need a gift which will inspire us with constant hopefulness and strength to go on day after day, recovering from our falls and putting forth ever new energies. We must look to God for this, and we shall receive it in the infused habit of Fortitude. Pray that you may not be of those who begin well, and suddenly break down irrecoverably.
All for Jesus, all for Mary.
Such shall be our password gentle reader.
Til next time.
