Lent 2026 - Reading #22 - Temperance
Reading
Thomas Aquinas describes temperance as the virtue of self-mastery: "Temperance is the virtue that moderates the desire for pleasures, especially the pleasures of touch, which are the most vehement. It withdraws man from things which seduce the appetite from obeying reason. The temperate man does not shun all pleasures, but those that are in excess of, or contrary to, reason." Aquinas further teaches: "Temperance takes its name from a tempering or moderating of the appetites. It does not destroy our natural desires but orders them, so that they serve reason rather than dominate it. The parts of temperance include abstinence and sobriety in matters of food and drink, chastity in matters of the flesh, humility as a moderation of the desire for one's own excellence, and meekness as a moderation of anger." For Aquinas, temperance is not the enemy of pleasure but its guardian. The intemperate person, enslaved by appetite, experiences less genuine pleasure than the temperate one, whose ordered desires allow for the full enjoyment of goods in their proper measure and context. Temperance is thus liberation, not restriction.
Reflection
We enter the fourth week of Lent and the last of the cardinal virtues: temperance, the virtue of self-mastery. Our journey has taken us from prudence's clear sight through justice's outward demands and fortitude's capacity to endure. Now the focus turns inward again, to the most personal of struggles: the governance of our own appetites and desires. If there is a virtue that Lent teaches through the body, it is temperance. The fast from food, the moderation of entertainment, the discipline of sleep and schedule, all of these are exercises in temperance. And Aquinas gives us an essential insight: this is not about suppressing our humanity but about ordering it. Desire is not the enemy; disordered desire is. The person who masters their appetites is not less alive but more so, freed from the tyranny of impulse to enjoy goods as they are meant to be enjoyed. This is the halfway point of our Lenten pilgrimage, a good time to honestly assess: How are your disciplines holding up? Where has appetite gotten the better of you? Where have you confused genuine need with mere want? Temperance does not demand perfection, it demands attention. Pay attention this week to what you desire, and ask whether your desires are serving you or you are serving them. The cardinal virtues are nearly complete; after this week, we cross the threshold into the theological virtues, where faith, hope, and love will demand everything temperance, fortitude, justice, and prudence have given us.