A virtue is a permanent habit which leads us to do good and to avoid evil.
There are two main types of virtues: theological and moral. Theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity) have God for their immediate object, whereas moral virtues regulate the free actions of human beings.
Father John Hardon, S.J., defined it this way: “a virtue is a good habit, as opposed to a vice, which is a bad habit. Habit refers to the ease, readiness, satisfaction, and effectiveness with which we perform human actions. Habits reside in the faculties of the mind and the will. They may be acquired either by personal effort or directly infused into the soul by God.”
The way one grows in the virtues is the same way one grows in grace, he said, “namely by prayer, participation in the Liturgy, reception of the sacraments, and good works. We also grow in the virtues by practicing them with the help of God’s grace.”
Even criminals “have performed good deeds in moments of lucidity,” said Pope Francis. “These deeds are certainly inscribed in the ‘book of God,’ but virtue is something else. It is a goodness that stems from the slow maturation of a person to the point that it becomes an inner characteristic. Virtue is a habitus of freedom. If we are free in every action, and we are called to choose between good and evil each time, then virtue is what enables us to have a tendency towards the right choice.”
Moral virtues can be acquired by the repetition of many good acts. There are four moral virtues on which all other moral virtues depend as a door depends on its hinges. These are called cardinal (the word means “hinge”) virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. St. Gregory the Great said, “the entire structure of good works is built on four virtues.”
Prudence enables us to see and take the proper means to achieve eternal salvation. Justice is the habitual desire to give to everyone his due. Fortitude enables us to face difficulties with courage and to bear our crosses patiently. Temperance enables us to exercise moderation in all things.
A Catechism book proposed that St. John the Baptist is a model of the cardinal virtues: “guided by prudence, St. John the Baptist chose to live in the desert, far away from the temptations of the world, practising self-denial and penance. He conversed with God in solitude and gained much wisdom, that his words were powerful. Even Herod took delight in listening to him.”
The book continues: “in the practice of justice, St. John Baptist spared himself no labour and sacrifice to fulfill his duty to God and to man. He exhorted others to practise justice by telling the tax collector not to collect more than what was prescribed and by telling the soldiers not to practise extortion or make false accusations. St. John the Baptist practised fortitude by living a very austere life in the desert. He courageously pointed out to Herod that it was not lawful for him to have his brother’s wife. He suffered imprisonment and martyrdom for speaking the truth.”
He practised temperance in the desert “by his extraordinary abstinence, living on locusts and wild honey” and in his public ministry by regulating “his whole conduct not by impulse or passion, but by rules of conscience and right reason. He gave in and baptized Christ once he saw that it was the will of God. He directed his disciples not to himself but to Christ, saying ‘He must increase, I must decrease.’ St. John the Baptist prepared the hearts of the people to accept Christ, and the moral virtues dispose our hearts to accept the gifts of the theological virtues from God.”
St. Francis de Sales gave the following advice in the choosing of virtue: “In practising any virtue, it is well to choose that which is most according to our duty, rather than most according to our taste... Among such virtues as have no special adaptation to our own calling, choose the most excellent, not the most showy... It is well for everybody to select some special virtue at which to aim, not as neglecting any others, but as an object and pursuit to the mind.”
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若翰洗者實踐了倫理德行
德行是一種永久的習慣，引導我們行善避惡。德行主要分為兩類：神學和倫理。神學德行（信德、望德和愛德）以天主為直接對象，而倫理德行則調節人類的自由行為。
耶穌會士John Hardon神父定義：「德行是一種良好的習慣，與之相對的是惡習，這是一種不良習慣。習慣是指以輕鬆、作好準備、滿足和有效的心態去做人類的行為。習慣存在於心智和意志中。可能通過個人的努力或由天主直接灌注到靈魂中而獲得。」
教宗方濟各解釋道：「歷史告訴我們，即使是罪犯，在清醒的時刻也曾行善。這些善行確實記載在「天主的書」中，但德行則是另一回事。德行是一種源自個人慢慢成熟的善良，最終成為內在的特質。德行是一種自由的習性。如果我們在每一個行動都是自由的，並且每次都被召喚在善與惡之間做出選擇，那麼德行就是使我們傾向於做出正確的選擇。」
Hardon神父寫道：「我們可以仿傚增長聖寵相同的方式來增長各種德行，即通過祈禱、參與禮儀和領受聖事，以及善行。我們也可以在天主聖寵的幫助下，通過實踐來培養這些德行。」
倫理德行可以通過重複許多善行來獲得。所有其他倫理德行都依賴四種主要倫理德行而獲得，正如門依賴於其鉸鏈一樣。這些德行被稱為樞德（這個詞的意思是「鉸鏈」）。樞德是：明智、公義、勇毅和節制。教宗聖額我一世說：「整項善工的結構都是建立在這四德行之上的。」
明智使我們能夠看見並採取適當的方法來達到永恆的救恩。公義是一種習慣性的渴望，給每個人應得的東西。勇毅使我們能夠勇敢面對困難，並耐心地背負我們的十字架。節制使我們能夠在一切事物中保持適度。
一本教理書提出聖若翰洗者是樞德的模範。「在明智的引導下，聖若翰洗者選擇生活在沙漠中，遠離世俗的誘惑，實踐自我棄絕和補贖。他在獨處中與天主交談，獲得了豐富的智慧，使他的話語充滿力量。連黑落德都喜愛聆聽他。」
在實踐公義方面，聖若翰洗者不惜勞苦和犧牲，來履行他對天主和人類的責任。他勸誡他人實踐公義，告訴稅吏不要收取超過規定的錢財，並告訴士兵不要勒索或作虛假指控。
聖若翰洗者通過在沙漠中過著極其簡樸的生活來實踐勇毅。他勇敢地指出黑落德娶其兄弟之妻是不合法的。他因說真話而遭受監禁，並最終殉道。
在沙漠中，聖若翰洗者通過非凡的禁慾來實踐節制，他以蝗蟲和野蜜為食。在他的公開事工中，聖若翰洗者並非依靠衝動或情感來規範他的行為，而是依據良心和正理的規範。他在看到這是天主的旨意後，願意讓基督受洗，並且將他的門徒引導向基督，說道「衪必興旺，我必衰微。」
聖若翰洗者準備世人的心靈來迎接基督，而倫理德行則使我們的心靈能夠接受天主所賜的神學德行。
聖方濟·沙勿略在選擇德行時給出了以下建議：「在實踐任何德行時，最好選擇那些最符合我們責任的德行，而不是最符合我們口味的德行 … 在那些與我們自己的召喚無特別適應的德行中，選擇最卓越的，而不是最顯眼的 … 每個人都應選擇某一特定的德行作為目標，這並非忽略其他德行，而是作為心靈的對象和追求。」
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