Lent 2026 - Reading #19 - Fortitude
Reading
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises, addresses fortitude through the lens of spiritual combat: "The enemy conducts himself as a military leader who wishes to conquer and plunder a desired object. A commander of an army will set up his camp, reconnoiter the forces and defenses of a stronghold, and attack it on its weakest side. In the same way, the enemy of our human nature examines from every side all our theological, cardinal, and moral virtues, and where he finds us weakest and most in need as regards our eternal salvation, he attacks us there and tries to take us." Ignatius continues with another of his military analogies: "The enemy also behaves as a false lover who wishes to remain hidden and does not want to be revealed. For when this deceitful man pays court to the daughter of a good father or the wife of a good husband, he wants his conversations and suggestions to remain secret. But if the father or husband comes to know of it, he is greatly displeased, for he knows that his designs will be defeated." For Ignatius, fortitude requires self-knowledge. We must know our weak points before we can defend them. The spiritual life is not passive but a form of warfare that demands the courage of honest self-assessment and the strength to guard what is most vulnerable in us.
Reflection
Nineteen days into Lent, Ignatius the soldier-saint brings military precision to our understanding of fortitude. Our journey through the virtues has been deepening week by week, and now we learn that courage is not only about endurance and paradox, it is also about strategy. The prudence of our first week and the justice of our second converge here: clear sight and right action combine to form intelligent courage. Ignatius's insight is psychologically acute: our spiritual adversary attacks where we are weakest, and shame keeps us from seeking help. How often is this true in our own experience? The temptation we would never confess, the weakness we hide even from ourselves, these are exactly the points where we are most vulnerable. Fortitude, then, is not just the willingness to endure suffering but the courage to be known, to bring our weakness into the light where it can be addressed. This is why the Lenten tradition emphasizes confession. The sacrament of reconciliation is an act of extraordinary fortitude, laying bare before God and another person the very things we most want to hide. If you have been putting off a difficult conversation, an honest self-examination, or the acknowledgment of a persistent weakness, this week of fortitude calls you to face it. You do not have to face it alone. The whole point of Ignatius's analogy is that secrecy serves the enemy, not us. Speak the truth about your struggle, and you have already won half the battle.