Fortitude – Great Lenten Retreat Week Three
Fortitude is our virtue as we enter the third week of our Great Lent retreat. This is the third article in our Great Lent retreat series. So if you missed the earlier article on Humility and Justice, check it out here. And you can find last week’s article on Temperance and Living in the Moment here.
Understanding the Virtues
Fortitude
Another way to describe the virtue of fortitude is courage. In the face of worldly temptation, we need the virtue of temperance. In the face of worldly pressures, we need fortitude. It takes courage to stand up for what is right. And it takes courage to do what is right.
Like the other virtues, fortitude must be kept in balance. Over-confidence is the excess of fortitude. And timidity or cowardliness shows a lack of fortitude.
Martyrs are an excellent example of fortitude for us. They died because they chose the truth over their own lives. How amazing is that? Although there are many places in the world where we could still die for our faith, there are other, smaller ways to practice fortitude. Wishing people a Merry Christmas instead of succumbing to the pressure to say Happy Holidays, for example. Fortitude is about proclaiming the truth where others hold to lies. Even in the face of danger, we are able to act rightly if we have the virtue of fortitude.
Patience and Perseverance
I put patience and perseverance with the virtue of fortitude. Because these two virtues are pillars of fortitude. In order to act or speak courageously we need patience. The virtue patience falls between impatience, or acting/speaking rashly, and inaction. Therefore we need patience in order to have fortitude. Because is we are defending the truth by speaking rashly we are no longer supporting our cause but displaying a lack of self control. And if we fall into inaction, waiting too long to do what is right, we fail to show fortitude.
Then there is the virtue of perseverance, the ability to stick to our resolution. This virtue is also clearly connected to fortitude.
Inconstancy, or changeability shows a lack of perseverance. And without consistent commitment one cannot have fortitude. Then there is the excess of perseverance, sometimes called pertinacity. Pertinacity refers to a stubborn persistence, beyond what is reasonable. For example it is good if we are fasting, but if we stick to our fast to the point of fainting, we are no longer practicing virtue. We need to know our own limitations, otherwise our actions are no longer courageous but foolish.
Fortitude by the Saints
John Chrysostom (excerpt from a Homily Before Exile)
The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear of drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.
What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? ‘The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats. For I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. Therefore I concentrate on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.
Do you not hear the Lord saying: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst? Will He be absent, then, when so many people united in love are gathered together? I have His promise! So I am surely not going to rely on my own strength! I have what He has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbor. Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to His promise and read His message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!
St. Mother Teresa
I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.
St. Joan of Arc
Go forward bravely. Fear nothing. Trust in God. All will be well.
Patriarch David (Psalm 28:7)
The Lord is my strength and my shield;in Him my heart trusts and I am helped; my heart exults,and with my song I give thanks to Him.
Practicing Fortitude
Practice taking risks this week. Put yourself out there… try something new. Invest time, energy, or even money in trying something that you don’t know how it will work out. When you have to make a difficult decision, make the choice that you are worried about (as long as it still seems like a good choice). Face your anxieties, and press through your nerves!
Pray in public. Even if it is just making the sign of the cross.
Stand up for someone in need. If you witness someone being pressured or ridiculed, find a way to help them out. Make a clear stand that it is not okay to mistreat people
Practice patience. Notice when you are feeling impatient, and what is causing those feelings. Let others go before you this week. If you are really struggling, practice patience over really small things. So try waiting an extra minute after your plate is set and ready to eat before you pick up your fork. Or take two minutes to pray before you open your phone to check your email. Offer the struggle to be patient up to the Theotokos, and ask for her help to grow in virtue.
The Byzantine Life
If you enjoyed this week’s article, you might want to check out our Lenten Articles. Great Lent covers fasting and abstinence, saying Alleluia, Presanctified Liturgy, and ways to actively participate in Great Lent with your family. We also have an article about Holy Week: A Guide to What Happens During Holy Week.
Great Lent Virtues Retreat Schedule
(links will only work after publishing day, the Thursday prior to that week of Great Lent)
28 February – Week One – Humility and Justice – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-humility-justice/
7 March – Week Two – Living in the Moment and Temperance – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-temperance/
14 March – Week Three – Fortitude: Patience + Perseverance – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-fortitude/
21 March – Week Four – Diligence + Prudence – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-diligence-prudence/
28 March Week Five – Faith – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-faith/
4 April – Week Six – Hope – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-hope/
11 April – Week Seven – Love and Charity – https://thebyzantinelife.com/great-lent-love/
Support The Byzantine Life
Please share our article on social media! On our Pinterest we have boards full of different icons and faith life ideas! Also, you can follow our Facebook to see our latest blog posts as they publish. The Badger Dad also runs our Twitter (@TheByzLife) and Instagram accounts (username: thebyzantinelife)!
Do you appreciate our work at TheByzantineLife.com? Consider joining us on Patreon for as little as $5 a month. In other words, you can help us run this website and produce quality content. And in return, you get exclusive access to special posts, photos, and updates from our family! As more people join, we will be adding bonus faith and family resources too. In short, click here to find out more: https://www.patreon.com/thebyzantinelife
