On May 13, 2023, Bishop Mallerais will visit Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy to administer Confirmations.
Confirmation Schedule for IHMA
The Sacrament which gives strength of soul, and provides the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. We discuss here specifically that of Fortitude.
Fortitude is one of the four great cardinal virtues. This means that it will often be part of an act of virtue, helping every single virtue to reach its end, especially when it becomes arduous. That is the very object of this great virtue: the arduous or difficult good.
We all know by personal experience that a simple act of charity (just a smile at times), an act of humility (to say ‘sorry’), one of patience, of controlling our curiosity or our appetite, can be difficult. Take any virtue: there are times when we just want to give up practicing it; it seems to us too hard. “I can’t!” That is when fortitude clicks in. “Come on, with His grace, you truly can!”
There is much talk about the problems our youth have to remain pure, to persevere in whatever they do, be it studies, holding a job, marriage, a vocation, etc. Whenever you’re tempted to quit, call for help, and remember: He is the Almighty and wills to help us persevere in the pursuit of good.
Fortitude also tackles fear, especially the greatest of all fears, the fear of death. Fear of the danger of death has great power to make men flee from the real good. And just as Christian civilization is based on trust in God, the true source of inner and social peace, many modern ideological systems are the very opposite: they make people live in fear. Let us just mention Freemasonry, communism, and Islam. Fear is a common feature of these worldviews when you look closely at them. They rule by fear.
The great sacrament of Confirmation strengthens us precisely for the battles of life, namely the battles for the practice of all the virtues according to our state of life. By the gift of Fortitude, the Holy Ghost moves the will in the resistance against evil and the pursue of a good difficult to obtain.
Is it possible that one of the causes of the incredible debility and weakness of our modern Catholics is a result of having meddled with the sacrament of Confirmation after Vatican II, particularly delaying its administration to young people until their later teen years?
With the Prophet Isaiah, let this ancient prayer be daily on our lips and heart in order to practice this major virtue: “O Lord, come to my aid!"
