“Virtue and Its Rewards”
Order of Malta, Baltimore Area
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
February 22, 2026
A Word of Thanks
I’m delighted to be with you once again for an evening of prayer, recollection, and fellowship. With tonight’s Gospel, Matthew 25, fresh in my mind and heart, I would like to thank you, members of the Order of Malta, for your love and respect for the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the vulnerable. And thanks to you, Fr. Bianco, and your co-workers, for hosting our gathering, as well as the spiritual guidance which you and your brother priests offer to the members of the Baltimore area of the Order of Malta.
Lenten Preface IV
On Ash Wednesday, I prayed the IV Preface for Lent. Let me quote it verbatim: “For through bodily fasting, you restrain our faults, raise up our minds, and bestow both virtue and its rewards, through Christ our Lord.” This is a handy, three-fold description of the whole season of Lent: Lenten penances aim to help us overcome our faults, to rein them in. Lent itself is a time to raise our minds and hearts to God in prayer, that is, to jumpstart, elevate, and intensify our life of prayer. In the process, ‘God bestows on us virtue and its rewards.’ This evening, it is this last point I want to reflect on with you. We might be surprised to learn that God bestows virtues. Usually, we think that we attain virtue through repeated and arduous efforts. Virtue and drudgery are thought to travel together. Yet, this liturgical text tells us that God bestows virtue and its rewards upon us.
That God bestows virtue upon us doesn’t mean we don’t have to lift a finger. It means we need to gain a fuller understanding of what virtue is, how it relates to the totality of our humanity, and how it relates to what we believe as faithful Catholics. And where to we begin to attain that fuller understanding? The answer, of course, is the luminous humanity of Christ. In his humanity is sown “a virtues of all saints to be” as Walter Shewring puts it. In his human nature, Christ was truly one of us. He was endowed with intellect and will, as human passions and emotions. We see his emotions and passions on display in the Gospels. For example, he experienced hunger and thirst; he manifested just anger (e.g., the cleansing of the Temple); and disappointment (e.g., the slowness of the disciples to understand); and sorrow (e.g., he wept at the death of his friend, Lazarus). But because he was luminously virtuous, Jesus never allowed his appetites and passions to dominate. He channeled them for the glory of the Father and for the sake of his mission. And the source of his virtue is the same as ours: his intimacy with the Father through prayer in the Holy Spirit.
That is why before we speak of the moral virtues, we must speak first of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. Theological virtues are indeed bestowed upon us: they are implanted in our souls in seed form through Baptism. Together they gain us access to the love and life of the Trinity. Through the gift of faith, Christ, the light of world, shines in our hearts, enabling us to believe in all that God has revealed, and more than that, to believe in God, that is to say, to entrust our lives and our destiny to him. Through the gift of charity, the love of God is poured into hearts, such that they are inflamed with hope of life eternal, a hope, which as St. Paul reminds us, does not disappoint. Through the gift of charity, we also believe that God loves us with an infinite love, that he has chosen us, that he cares about us, that he died to save us, that he wants to take us to himself, together with the saints and angels. We, in turn, respond by loving God with all our heart. We love the One who loved us first.
To reiterate, the theological virtues are implanted in us in seed form at Baptism. For the seeds to germinate, grow strong, and bear fruit, they must be nurtured by prayer, the sacraments, by study of the faith, and by living our lives as disciples on mission. As that begins to happen, we begin to live differently. Pope Benedict famously wrote, “Those who hope live differently.” But something similar could be said of faith and love. Those who believe live differently. Those who love, live differently. Indeed, a recent Pew survey found that Catholics who go to Mass weekly and pray regularly differ significantly from their Catholic counterparts who seldom attend Mass seldom. Their views on morality, for example, are more aligned with Church teaching. Their world view is more biblical. They are more generous to those in need. What is the key to this difference? At bottom, it’s that the relationship of practicing Catholics to Christ grows through listening to the Word of God and sharing in the Sacraments, the theological virtues become more and more firmly rooted in them – and this in spite of life’s ups and downs, steps backward and forward by the living Word of God and the Sacraments of the Church.
The theological virtues, then, are within us as seedlings but when neglected through indifference or overcome by sin, they fail to grow and their influence on one’s life is minimal. Conversely (and to reiterate), when we pray, study the faith, & reach out to others in a spirit of self-giving love, these theological virtues are activated, God’s grace is bestowed, and we are spurred on to open our hearts more widely to the Triune God, to the God who knocks at the door of our hearts seeking entrance.
The Bestowal of the Moral Virtues
It is, I hope, abundantly clear that the moral virtues do not stand on their own; they stand in relationship to the theological virtues. Morality is not a question of pulling ourselves up to heaven by our bootstraps. Nor is it a question trying to obey the precepts of God through our unaided efforts leading only to frustration. Nor still less is it ever acceptable to throw in the towel, to decide that the struggle isn’t worth it or that the bar is set too high.
Far from beginning and ending with our unaided efforts, moral virtue hinges rather on listening to the Word of God in faith, on praying with the Saints, on being forgiven in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, on centering our lives on the Eucharistic Lord. It is from the grace and strength of Word and Sacrament that we develop, throughout our lives, the moral virtues. Virtue is not something we do for God, and not something we do to prove ourselves. Virtue is something God’s grace enables us to attain. In a word, it is God who bestows on us virtue and its rewards. For now, let me just say that there is all the difference in the world between struggling alone to overcome sin and to attain virtue as opposed to walking with Christ and his Church in the power of the Spirit.
Emotions, Passions, and Appetites
God’s grace does not simply override our humanity, however. In the wisdom of her moral teaching, the Church does not imagine us to be angels. In her moral tradition, she drills down on what we know is within us. She recognizes that we are a bundle of emotions and appetites. Rigorism (a flawed version of Catholic moral theology) suggest that it is virtuous to suppress our emotions. Recall, however, that Jesus did not suppress his emotions –weeping at the death of his friend Lazarus, being moved to pity for the crowds, like sheep without a shepherd, growing wearing, expressing disappointment, sweating blood. Clearly, our emotions have a role to play, expressing what words often fail to convey, giving vent to what wells up from deep within the human spirit and linking our cognitive life with our physical life.
On the other hand, our emotions should not rule us. Some therapeutic models of morality encourage just that – sometimes naïvely expecting that, by emoting, the subject will ‘get it out of their system’. We are to walk a middle way between suppression of emotion and being dominated by our emotions – Think about the outbursts we are witnessing from people in public life – politicians, movie stars, singers, disgruntled people on airplanes – the list is pretty long and diverse – but all have this in common: their emotions are out of control. Thus, they no longer think clearly, they no longer seek truth, they no longer work towards the common good, they are incapable of love.
Underneath our emotions, so to speak, are appetites. Catholic morality traditionally has recognized a variety of appetites, or deep-seated inclinations, that aim for what is good or seems to be good. For our purposes, let us focus on two: the concupiscible appetite and the irascible appetite. Put simply, they are deep-seated inclinations – the first (concupiscible) is towards things we love, sometimes properly and sometimes in a disordered way. The second (irascible) pertains to things we hate, fear, or seek to avoid –sometimes in a morally proper way and sometimes in a disordered way. Grouped under these appetites is a whole range of human emotions. The appetites are deeply engrained in us, indeed they are part of our in-built survival mechanisms, and like the motions that fall under them, they are morally neutral. Yet, like our emotions, they have been tainted by original sin. Our appetites can give rise to emotional responses to external stimuli that override reason and the good intention of the will. Both our appetites and the emotions to which they give rise need to be moderated, need to be moderated by human reason, elevated and purified by God’s grace. Indeed, they need to be regulated in ways that correspond to how we are made, and in accord with our eternal destiny. Thus, we turn to the moral virtues that flow from the theological virtues, virtues that penetrate the powerful forces that lie in the depths of each of us ‘rational animals.’
Four Cardinal Virtues
As we learned along the way, there are four “cardinal” virtues, from the Latin word cardo which means “hinge”. On these four, overarching virtues, all the moral virtues hinge. They are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. Let’s take a quick look at each.
Prudence is often misunderstood as hesitation or caution. In reality, it is the virtue of clear-eyed discernment. It enables us to perceive reality truthfully, to judge rightly what should be done, and to act in a way that advances genuine good. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls prudence “the charioteer of the virtues” – as it marshals and directs them to that which is true, good, and beautiful. Prudence is also the charioteer of our thoughts, feelings, and appetites, not suppressing them but channeling them creatively toward the good that is to be done and done in a thoughtful, charitable way. Prudence is the virtue that prompts us to ask questions: What is truly important in any given situation? What’s at stake? What should be done to protect the vulnerable and serve the common good? Think of how prudently Jesus responded to the “gotcha” questions of the Pharisees, how he penetrated to the underlying issue – often it was hypocrisy – how he understood in every instance what must be done. Prudence helps us to see clearly, judge wisely, and act firmly.
Next is justice – the virtue that moves us to honor the dignity of every person and to recognize that each person has rights that must be protected and responsibilities that must be fulfilled. Justice prompts us to safeguard human life at every stage – the unborn, the elderly, the sick, the disabled, the vulnerable, the person who has been treated unfairly and/or uncharitably. It ensures that basic needs are met, that work and workers are respected, that the marginalized are brought to the center, that laws, policies, and rules are applied fairly and evenhandedly. Justice also demands recognition of the ways historical sins – such as racism and exploitation, and exclusion, continue to wound –
whether it is entire communities or individuals. Justice is not partisan, nor is it rooted in ideology, but in the truth that we human beings are made in God’s image. Think of Jesus’ passion for the poor and the neglected. What the disciples tried to silence them or move past them, Jesus stopped and sought to restore and reconcile them. Justice helps us give each person what is owed to them.
Moving on – courage. Among our appetites and emotions is fear – fear of physical danger, fear of failure, fear of ridicule on the part of others. As noted above, Jesus was no stranger to fear and to anxiety. He dreaded undergoing the passion yet he overcame the inhibitions of his passions to embrace his mission. How often are we tempted to be quiet or to engage in avoidance when a difficult matter is under discussion or when someone is on the firing line (apologies to Bill Buckley). When it comes to evangelization, fear can get the better of us. We hesitate to engage others about the faith for fear of rejection. Sometimes we go along to get along. The virtue of courage, or fortitude, helps us to rein in the fear we experience, not to deny it but to channel it, to “reform it” into a passion for pursuing the good. Thus, fortitude strengthens us to pursue what is right, despite fear, intimidation, and ridicule. It empowers each of us to resist pressure to conform, to endure criticism for standing for truth, and to advocate for the vulnerable even when it is unpopular or inconvenient. This is a virtue needed in public life, social life, and family life. It helps us to do the right thing even when it is hard to do so.
Finally, there’s temperance. Temperance moderates our impulses and helps us resist the lure of excess, whether it is food or drink, the immoderate use of media, one’s sexual appetite, and the kind of rhetoric that we use, especially when we are angry. Temperance invites us to slow down, to choose words carefully, to avoid rash judgments, and to discipline our desire “to win”, at the expense of relationship, truth, or the common good. Temperance helps us to curb lesser immediate goods (real or perceived), and to seek after higher, lasting goods.
Of course, all four of these cardinal virtues must work together in a fully integrated human personality. They support and balance one another. Prudence without justice becomes manipulation. Justice without temperance becomes harshness. Fortitude without prudence becomes recklessness. Temperance without fortitude becomes avoidance.
The Rewards of Virtue
Let us be clear that the development of virtue requires discipline on our part, but, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, our perseverance and efforts are “purified and elevated by divine grace. With God’s help, they forge character & give facility to the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.” (CCC 1810).
Let us circle back to Lenten Preface IV that speaks of “virtue and its rewards.” What are the rewards of virtue? Not riches, fame, or acclaim. Rather, by the practice and development of the theological virtues as well as all the moral virtues – we progress to a state of beatitude – a state of happiness, a state of accounting ourselves fortunate. For what virtue elevated by grace produces is not only an orderly life, not only a life in which we related in a healthy way to those around us, not only a productive life in which we share our talents and goods with others; important as that is – and as much happiness as that brings us – the most beautiful thing is when we progress to the point of fully living the Beatitudes: poverty of spirit, meekness, purity of heart, hunger for righteousness – when we reach the point of embracing the beatitudes as fully as it is possible to do so on this earth – then it is that God the Father will see and love in us what he sees and loves in his beloved Son. That is beatitude. That is happiness. That is joy. May this Lenten season bring you the blessing of virtue and its reward!