VIRTUES – Christian virtues, which literally means those powers and possessions of the mind and the heart which all men should have if they are truly human, fulfilling themselves as created in the image and likeness of God.
The three virtues : Faith, Hope, and Charity, set forth by St. Paul in I Cor., chapter 13, are called THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES, so called because they have God for their source and object.
Generally speaking, all of the human virtues are attributes of God Himself. They are the characteristics of Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God in human flesh. They are the divine properties which should be in all human persons by the gift of God in creation and salvation through Christ. They are also called the fruits of the Holy Spirit, Faith, Hope, Knowledge, Wisdom, Honesty, Humility, Obedience, Patience, Courage, Faithfulness, Self-Control, Kindness, and Gratitude.
According to the Christian faith “the greatest virtue is love“ (I Corinthians 13:13) Love is the “fulfilling of the law” of God.(Romans 13:10) For God Himself is Love.