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Andrew M. Greenwell: St. Bonaventure on Fortitude

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The gift of fortitude comes to us through the "unassailable shield of faith," the "serene solace of hope," and the "inextinguishable fire of love," and so it follows that we must ask that God increase our faith, our hope, and our love of Him.  [V, 9]  It is impossible for a Christian with weak faith, wobbling hope, or tepid charity to display the gift of fortitude.  It is the three theological virtues that dispose a Christian soul to receive the gift of fortitude.

style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - In this fourth article on St. Bonaventure's Conferences on the Holy Spirit, we will address the Seraphic Doctor's treatment of the Holy Spirit's gift of fortitude.  In prior articles, we addressed the gifts of the fear of the Lord (timor Domini), piety (pietas), and knowledge (scientia). 

The gift of fortitude should be distinguished from the virtue of fortitude.  Fortitude, whether a virtue or gift, may be generally defined as the power or ability that "ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good."  CCC § 1808.  However, the word "fortitude" has at least three registers, depending upon whether one is referring to fortitude as: (i) an acquired virtue, (ii) an infused virtue, or (iii) a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Fortitude as an acquired virtue is found in all virtuous people--including virtuous pagans; however, it is a natural, acquired virtue and it contributes nothing to the supernatural life.  

Fortitude as an infused virtue is part of the "package" given to us if we are in a state of sanctifying grace.  This does not mean that, being in a state of grace automatically means the virtue is in full bloom.  To allow the infused virtue of fortitude to work in us requires our correspondence with God's grace.  The infused virtue of fortitude works largely through our reason which is influenced, prompted, encouraged, and strengthened by God's grace.

Fortitude as a gift of the Holy Spirit is something wholly other that the infused virtue of fortitude, though both are supernatural gifts of God.  The gift of the Holy Spirit allows us to be docile to the direct, unmediated promptings of the Holy Spirit which strengthen our resolve.  In works in correspondence with the infused virtue of fortitude, but it is also something way beyond it.  St. Bonaventure calls the gift of fortitude "clothing of the soul" (idumentum animae), a clothing which comes "from heaven," as a "gift of God." [V, 3, 4]  

Fortitude is a gift that, in a manner of speaking, is shared: fortitude is "clothing not only of the soul," but also found in an exemplary manner in the "glorious Virgin, but also of Mother Church." [V, 3]

The classic image in explaining between the gifts of the Holy spirit and the infused theological and moral virtues is that of an old galley which plows through the waves of the spiritual life to its goal using both the acquired virtue of fortitude (the oars) along with the sails which capture the wind of the gift of fortitude (the sails).

St. Bonaventure looks at the gift of fortitude from three perspectives or vantage points.  The first is from the perspective of the Giver.  The second is from the perspective of the recipient.  The third is from the work that comes from it.

Of course, the gift of fortitude comes from God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--but it is generally attributed (by the theological principle called appropriation) to the Holy Spirit.  

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Though we attribute it to the Holy Spirit, the gift of fortitude should be looked at in its plenary Trinitarian sense:  Fortitude, St. Bonaventure reminds us himself using appropriation to refer to the persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, "is given by God who protects us, by God who redeems us, and by God who dwells within us."  [V, 5]

Though coming from one and the same God, we may view the gift of fortitude from a Trinitarian perspective.  Thus, the gift of fortitude may be seen as coming from the Deus protegens, the Creator, the protecting and providential God the Father; the Deus redimens, the redeeming God, God the Son; or from the perspective of the indwelling God, God the Holy Spirit, the Deus inhabitans.

The gift of fortitude as given by God the Father (Deus protegens) may be seen as that gift which "makes man rich (divitem), secure (securum), powerful (potentem), and confident (confidentem)" in the things of God. [V, 5]

The gift of fortitude viewed as coming to us through Jesus, the Deus redimens, is like water drawn "from the fountains of the savior," "waters in which the soul is strengthened (fortificatur), purified (purificatur), redeemed (redimitur), sanctified (sanctificatur), and snatched from the power of the demons" (eripitur de potestate daemonum).  [V, 6]

Viewed from the perspective of the Deus inhabitans, the God who dwells in us when we are in a state of grace, fortitude is, in the strictest sense, the gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is this gift--given to the Church at Pentecost--that changed the apostle Peter from a man who denied our Lord thrice for the fear of a maid to one who had the fortitude to stand up to Caesar, that temporal colossus who bestrode the known world with his huge might, and suffered being crucified upside down.  [V, 7]  Its fruit: boldness in speech and in action: parrhesia.

As Christians, we should all seek this gift of the Holy Spirit, and to do so we must ask God to make our souls disposed to receive it.  St. Bonaventure teaches us that the gift of fortitude works in tandem with the theological virtues.  It is when the gift of the Holy Spirit works in tandem with faith, hope, and charity that it transform us as it did Peter.

The gift of fortitude comes to us through the "unassailable shield of faith," the "serene solace of hope," and the "inextinguishable fire of love," and so it follows that we must ask that God increase our faith, our hope, and our love of Him.  [V, 9]  It is impossible for a Christian with weak faith, wobbling hope, or tepid charity to display the gift of fortitude.  It is the three theological virtues that dispose a Christian soul to receive the gift of fortitude.

The gift of fortitude has a three-fold purpose.  First, it allows the soul to "accomplish manly works"; in other words, it is what allows to overcome of effeminacy of soul that St. Paul condemns (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-10).  Second, it allows for the soul to "cast down the powers of the air," thus giving the soul powers fitting for spiritual combat against the devil's wiles.  Third, the gift of fortitude allows the soul to "endure worldly tribulations."  [V, 13]  It is the stuff behind martyrdom.

The epitome of Christian fortitude is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is herself a paradigm of the Church.  Mary is the "valiant woman" of Proverbs (see Proverbs 31:10-13).  It was both fitting and necessary that Mary--who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit in the virginal conception wherein the Word was made flesh and whose entirely life was dedicated to the Lord who was also her Son--"be filled with the sevenfold spirit of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and especially with the spirit of fortitude."  [VI, 2]

Mary's fortitude is first displayed in the Scriptures in the Annunciation when visited by the archangel Gabriel (whose name, St. Bonaventure observes, means "fortitude of God").  The entire salvation of mankind lay in the balance of this encounter, and depended upon the strength of Mary's resolve, her fiat of obedience which would reverse the non serviam of the devil and our first parents.  This was fortitude in the prospect of a future not entirely known to her, and we ought to thank Mary each and every day for the fortitude and resolve of her fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum which brought our Savior into this world, and allowed the Transcendent God immanently to "pitch his tent" among us.  Divine aseity and human abeleity were hypostatically joined in the Word as a result of her consent: and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  

Mary ushered in the revolution in the relationship between God and man predicted by the Old Testament prophets by saying "Yes" to God's plan.

Mary's fortitude continued throughout her entire life, and is poignantly again made manifest when Mary's soul is pierced with the sorrow prophesied by Simeon.  Here is fortitude in suffering.  

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"When Christ suffered on the cross," St. Bonaventure observed, Mary's fortitude is again seen in that--against all her maternal instincts--it was "agreeable to her," because it was consonant with God's Will, "that the price of her womb would be offered on the cross for us."  [VI, 15]

But these are, at best, the two "bookends" of Mary's fullness of fortitude.  Mary's entire life was one that was full of the gift of fortitude.

Mary is fortis et sancta, "strong and holy," in her "untouched chastity," in her "prompt obedience," and in her "good will."  Mary is fortis et pia, "strong and pious," in her reverence for God, her compassion for Christ, and in her mercy for the World, in particular the Christian peoples.  Finally, Mary is fortis et strenua, "strong and valiant" in her "fighting strongly" against Satan and the powers of evil, her "triumphing nobly" against the sword of sorrow that pierced her Immaculate Heart at the foot of the Cross, and in her "reigning in sublimity" in being crowned Queen of Heaven. 

Let us therefore pray to the Blessed Trinity that the gift of fortitude may flower in our soul, and let us ask Mary's intercession, that she, who had the fullness of fortitude as she had the fullness of grace, may be both our model and our heavenly advocate of this gift.  

Sancta Maria, fortis et sancta, fortis et pia, fortis et strenua, ora pro nobis!

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Andrew M. Greenwell is an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas, practicing in Corpus Christi, Texas.  He is married with three children.  He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum.  You can contact Andrew at agreenwell@harris-greenwell.com.

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