Lent 2026 - Reading #21 - Fortitude
Reading
Thomas Aquinas connects fortitude to its ultimate expression, the willingness to die for the truth: "The brave man uses the danger of death which occurs in war as a matter about which his virtue is concerned, not as the end for which he acts. For the brave man intends not death but victory. Hence he that bravely faces death in order that he may gain victory in battle does something praiseworthy, not because death is good, but because victory in a just cause is good." Aquinas continues: "Fortitude is principally about the fear of difficult things, which can withdraw the will from following the reason. It behooves us not only to hold firmly to the good of reason in face of dangers, but also to repel and overcome the assault of evils. Even in lesser matters, fortitude strengthens a man so that he does not shrink from doing what reason dictates through fear of temporal loss or disgrace." For Aquinas, the martyr is the supreme exemplar of fortitude, but the virtue is not only for extreme circumstances. It operates whenever we resist the temptation to abandon the good because the cost of maintaining it has become frightening. Every honest act in a dishonest world, every kindness maintained under pressure, every commitment honored when breaking it would be easier, all of these are acts of fortitude.
Reflection
We close our third week of Lent and our week of fortitude with Aquinas bringing us full circle. Three weeks of virtue now stand behind us, prudence to see clearly, justice to act rightly, fortitude to endure the cost of both. Tomorrow we turn to temperance, but today let us gather what we have learned about courage and carry it forward. Aquinas reminds us that fortitude is not about seeking death or suffering, but about loving victory, the victory of the good. This distinction matters enormously. The courageous person does not have a martyr complex; they are not looking for crosses to carry. But when the cross comes, when the cost of doing right becomes painful, they do not run. They endure, not out of grim duty but out of love for the good they are defending. Three weeks of Lent have passed. You have been fasting, praying, examining yourself. Perhaps you have stumbled; perhaps the disciplines have already slipped. Fortitude says: get up and continue. The race is not over. The virtue is not in perfection but in perseverance. As we enter the fourth week, we carry with us the vision of prudence, the obligations of justice, and the endurance of fortitude. Now temperance will teach us the most intimate lesson yet: how to govern ourselves. The journey is half over. Keep walking.