Madre Maria Elena Martinez

Although we are about to conclude the Jubilee Year of Hope, I would like to offer a brief reflection on this theological virtue.

The virtue of hope has both a negative and a positive connotation. The negative is not being in fullness; it is the “not yet” of the creature. The positive is being on the way toward it. In hope, we affirm ourselves as created beings, creatures of God, toward whom we are moving. Hope is only a virtue when there is an unwavering and firm direction toward fullness, toward supernatural happiness in God. It is confidently striving to attain the highest good.

This virtue rests upon two other great virtues: magnanimity, which is aspiring to great things, like holiness, and making ourselves worthy of them; and humility, which is recognizing the ineffable distance between God and we, His creatures.

Prayer and hope are essentially connected. Prayer is the outward expression of hope; whoever does not pray lacks hope. Hope must grow as the years go by, since we know we are closer to that fullness. Today’s worship of youth is due to a lack of hope.

Despair, on the other hand, is denying or failing to recognize that one is on the path toward fullness. To despair is a sin, as it contradicts what we are called to be.

Hope has two great enemies: acedia, which is a spiritual laziness—a failure to strive for greatness and to become what God wants us to be, out of fear of the demands it may place upon us; and indifference, a lack of interest in anything that could lead to salvation, even to the point of despising all that is divine.

There are also two false hopes: one is self-reliance, believing that one can achieve salvation through one’s own strength, without needing God’s help. The other is thinking that merely believing in God is enough for salvation, without any need for personal effort or merit.

Finally, I would like to mention hope’s great ally: the fear of God, which helps us turn away from evil out of fear of losing the path. This virtue reminds us that “we are not yet.” Yet, if we walk in love, we can overcome this fear and ascend, full of hope, toward the fullness we are called to reach.

Ultimately, hope keeps us moving forward, even when the path seems uncertain or tiring. It is the certainty that God fulfills His promises and that, even amid trials, His love never fails. To live with hope is to live in trust, knowing that each step, however small, brings us closer to fullness in Him. As we conclude this Jubilee Year, let us not consider hope finished, but let us rekindle it each day as the inner strength that drives us to continue walking toward God.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for Yahweh your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

Fortitude, as we all know, is not only a gift of the Holy Spirit, but also one of the four cardinal virtues. It is the disposition of a person to do what is good, even at the cost of any sacrifice.

Now, if fortitude exists as a gift or a virtue, that presupposes that we as human beings are vulnerable, that by nature we are weak and defenseless. Yet, with God’s grace, we can overcome our fears and weaknesses.

Many times, people mistakenly think that someone possesses fortitude simply because they can endure great pain or suffering. Yet, fortitude is only considered a virtue when it is linked to the desire for justice—that is, the desire to be holy and pleasing to God. Fortitude is not recklessness nor is it a love of danger; rather, it is something that frees us from clinging to life so much that we lose it by failing to do what is right. It means putting God first, even at the cost of ourselves. Difficulty and effort do not encompass the virtue; instead, it is the good that one seeks that fuels it. Having fortitude is not the same as having no fear; it means not allowing fear to lead us to refuse to do God’s will and thereby act wrongly.

Other things that are confused with fortitude include anger; the person with fortitude is not the one who attacks, but the one who endures. Selfishness and an unhealthy craving for security and overprotection are also contrary to this virtue.

As with every cardinal virtue, fortitude gives rise to other qualities or attributes, such as patience—that is, the ability to keep calm and clear-sighted despite the wounds suffered for having done what is good. Through patience, we remain master of ourselves and in possession of our souls.

Another virtue that stems from fortitude is trust: the hope that God’s providence will always be present and that, in the end, He will reward us.

Of course, there can be no fortitude without love, for it is love that drives a person to do good – without giving in – even when threatened with the risk of injury or death.

As we can see, fortitude is synonymous with martyrdom. Let us ask all those who gave their lives for Christ to obtain for us the grace to be strong and steadfast in our daily battles.

A couple of weeks ago, I started participating in a seminar on natural law, and I heard a phrase that caught my attention: “Without prudence, the other virtues could not exist.” This sparked my curiosity and my desire to learn more about it.

To begin with, prudence is the first of the cardinal virtues, followed by justice, fortitude, and temperance, and it governs all the others. In other words, every virtue must first and foremost be prudent. For example, courage without prudence turns into recklessness, and generosity without prudence becomes wastefulness. Sin, therefore, is the result of a lack of prudence. Prudence perfects our impulse to act.

To act prudently, one must first have an objective knowledge of things — that is, to know them for what they truly are. From this knowledge of reality, one determines what should or should not be done. Only those who understand how things are and how they unfold, are capable of acting rightly. Prudence, in short, means that what one desires and what one does are in accordance with the truth.

Christians, upon receiving baptism, receive an infused prudence that enables them to attain salvation. Yet there is an even more perfect prudence, one that provides a person not only with the tools to achieve their own salvation, but also to help others attain it.

Prudence must have three essential elements: memory, docility, and skill. Memory allows us to always, and in all circumstances, remember what is true and good; otherwise, we risk distorting the truth according to our desires or preferences. For example, I may know that bribery is wrong, but when the opportunity arises to do it for personal gain, I forget that it is immoral. Docility refers to the humility to accept advice and let go of the tendency to always want to be right. Skill is the ability to act rightly in the face of the unexpected, overcoming any temptation toward injustice, cowardice, or lack of temperance.

As we strive for more perfect prudence, we must also be aware that there are two types of false prudence: one by deficiency, which consists of failing to act out of fear or cowardice, waiting for absolute certainty where none exists; and one by excess, which is a cunning use of circumstances for personal gain.

A virtuous person must seek assurance in the experiences of a well-lived life, in the integrity of their intentions, and in God’s providence, waiting silently and humbly for the right moment to act.

Prudence, in summary, is the rudder that sets the course for our journey toward perfection.