1 Corinthians 13:13
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Faith, hope, and love are known in Catholic tradition as the “theological virtues.” They are virtues which are revealed, supernatural, and, strictly speaking, impossible for us to have on our own. There are other virtues in the Catholic tradition (prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude) known as “cardinal virtues.” Cardinal virtues are natural virtues. They are the sorts of virtues we can arrive at and even practice using common sense, wisdom, and a little moxie. But the theological virtues are supernatural gifts. God gives them to us or we do not possess them at all. And he gives them to us so we can give them back to him. He gives us the grace to believe and so we exercise faith in him. He gives us “a future and hope” (Jeremiah 29:11) and so we hope in him. He gives us love and so we have love for him that overflows in love of our neighbor. Despite the opinions of some Christians, Paul was careful to note that the greatest of these virtues is not faith, but love. But love without faith is impossible, for faith roots us in God. As Peter Kreeft says, faith is the root, hope is the stem, and love is the flower on a single plant. Ask God for the power to exercise faith, have hope, and show love today.
