The Theological Virtues

07-05-2026Pastor's LetterFather Wilson

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the life of faith, there are gifts that do not simply help us “manage” the spiritual journey—they guide it. St. Paul teaches that faith, hope, and love abide, and that “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). Pope St. John Paul II describes these virtues “like three stars” that rise in the sky of our spiritual life to lead us to God, forming a “triptych” whose apex is love (agape). (Pope St. John Paul II’s General Audience, Nov 22, 2000)

These virtues are truly Christian because they are theological: they are lived out only by God’s gift, not by human strength alone. According to the Catechism the theological virtues help form the whole “organism” of supernatural life—rooted in Baptism—so that a person can believe, hope, and love through grace and the Holy Spirit, and then grow through moral virtues. (CCC, 1266)

The Catechism states that the theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity. They animate moral action and give it its special character, and they inform and give life to all the moral virtues. It also says these virtues are infused by God into the souls of the faithful so that people can act as God’s children and be capable of meriting eternal life (i.e., living in a supernatural way). Finally, they are described as the pledge of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action in human faculties. (CCC, 1813, 1841)

As disciples, our growth in Christ is not mainly a matter of feeling better; it is a matter of receiving and cooperating with grace. Faith steadies our mind to God; hope strengthens our will to persevere; charity shapes our choices until Christ becomes visible in what we do and how we forgive.

This week, may we make one concrete resolution for each virtue: one act of trust in God’s Word, one patient endurance in a difficulty, and one tangible work of love toward someone in need. In this way the three stars will rise again within you, leading you toward God, who is Love, now and always.

All the best…in Christ.