An Apologetical Explanation of the

Theological Virtues

What are the theological virtues?

Love never ends…. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.  So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  (1 Cor 13:8-13)

The theological virtues—faith, hope, and charity (love)—form the very basis for all Christian moral virtues.  These are given to us at Baptism but must be nurtured and developed through practice, prayer, and the Sacraments.

The virtues of faith, hope, and charity (cf. 1 Cor 13:13) are called theological because their object is union with God.  Growth in the theological virtues comes through prayer, reception of the Sacraments, and the practice of the virtues; thereby, growth in holiness means becoming more imbued with the life of Christ.  As St. Gregory of Nyssa taught, “The goal of the virtuous life is to become like God” (De Beatitudinibus, 1: PG 44, 1200 D).  The theological virtues are infused in us at Baptism, and they are strengthened through the reception of the other Sacraments.  (Cf. CCC 1812-1813, 2098)

  • Faith elevates our natural intellect and moves our will so we can assent to the truths revealed supernaturally by God and put those truths into practice.  (Cf. CCC 1814-1816)
  • Hope makes us desire eternal life with God and gives us confidence to receive the necessary grace to be with him forever.  It gives our mind and out will the power to trust that God will give us all the means necessary to achieve everlasting life.  (Cf. CCC 1817-1821)
  • Charity enables us to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves with the love of Christ.  (Cf. CCC 1822-1829)

All three theological virtues are vital to living a true Christian life.  In St. Paul’s magnificent and well-known essay on lofe (cf. 1 Cor 13), he reminds us that in eternal life our faith and hope are fulfilled, for we will see and realize all that we formerly believed and hoped for.  Charity (love) is the one theological virtue that endures forever.  (Cf. CCC 1698, 1826, 1971, 1991)

“Charity” is used to describe a host of actions: giving money to the poor, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and the like.  Such actions are called “charity” because they are inspired by and flow out of the practice of this theological virtue.

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 1803 and 1813.

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To get a hardcopy of these Apologetics or the Didache Bible please visit the Midwest Theological Forum (publisher) at: http://www.theologicalforum.org