Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

I Peter 1: 13-16

FAITH HOPE CHARITY (LOVE) PRUDENCE JUSTICE TEMPERANCE FORTITUDE

Three Theological Virtues—These are called “theological” because they are gifts from God. We cannot make these happen on our own.

Four Cardinal Virtues--These are called “cardinal” because they “are of the greatest importance,” which is what the word means. We can develop these on our own strength, but we can take them much further when these are strengthened by the Theological Virtues.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Epistle to the Hebrews 11: 1

To put it simply, having faith means that I am able to know and believe things that God makes known to me, even when I cannot prove it in the same way I might prove something material.

Hope is a Divine virtue by which we confidently expect, with God’s help, to reach eternal happiness beholding the presence of God in the company of all the Angels and Saints as well as to have all that we need to actually be able to attain that wonderful destiny.

--paraphrased from The Catholic Encyclopedia at www.newadvent.org

Pronouncedah-gah’-pay

Love, in the sense of which is God’s self-sacrificing love poured out for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ is truly human, he can touch us in a direct, deep and personal way with this love. Because Jesus Christ is truly God, the love He offers us is truly this life-changing

“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

--I Corinthians 13: 4-7

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

I John 4: 9-12

“This is my commandent, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Gospel of John 15: 12-13