Steadfastness, Effeminacy and Pertinacity

Steadfastness.—Steadfastness is a virtue which is so devoted to the goodness of continuing in the right that it is not fatigued by the length of time or the repeated effort required for a good work (virtue of persistence or perseverance), nor disheartened by the opposition which a good work encounters (virtue of manliness or constancy), but goes on unmoved until the conclusion which right reason calls for has been arrived at.

(a) The Virtue.—Steadfastness belongs to fortitude, since the essence of both is a struggle against difficulty; but steadfastness is the inferior, since it is nobler and more heroic to be undismayed by the peril of death than to be unconquered by strain of monotony or opposition. Steadfastness is a most important virtue, for it avails one little to begin a work well if it is not carried to a successful conclusion. Without it one puts hand to the plow but looks back (Luke, ix. 62), or begins to build but does not finish (Like, xiv. 30); with it the work begun is crowned, the harvest will be reaped (Gal., vi. 9, 10), and salvation secured (Matt., x. 22). Scripture abounds with exhortations to steadfastness (I Cor., xv. 58; Phil., iv. i; II Tim., iii. 13; Ecclus., xi. 21, 22, v. 12; John, viii. 31; Heb., xii. 7); but final perseverance is a special gift of God (I Peter, v. 10).

(b) The Opposite Vices.—Opposed to steadfastness by deficiency is the vice of effeminacy or weakness, by excess the vice of pertinacity. The effeminate person, lacking stamina to go on in a necessary good, surrenders to weariness or opposition by abandoning the undertaking or by taking up with evil (Matt., xi. 7, 8). The pertinacious person continues in the course he has begun when right reason bids him to discontinue, as when one has taken a vow and does not wish to accept the dispensation which a change of circumstances necessitates. These sins are venial unless they go counter to a grave duty, as when an effeminate person gives up the resolution to avoid a very dangerous occasion of sin, or the headstrong person determines to fast during the remainder of Lent when this will seriously injure his health.

S. Th. II-II, q. 137 and 138.

928. Perseverance (volharding) in the present matter is not taken for the great gift of perseverance, by which someone remains in the state of grace until the end of life and dies in it: this is not a virtue but a special help of divine grace, which we cannot merit; but it is taken for the habit of continuation in a good work unto the end, and thus it is a virtue strengthening the soul for overcoming the difficulties which arise from prolonged exercise of virtue, or a virtue inclining one to persist in the exercise of virtues according as right reason dictates, notwithstanding the weariness which may arise from the duration of the work. [The original prints "918" here.]

Hence a) it regards future difficulties, while patience looks at present evils. b) Moreover it is ordained to overcoming that special difficulty which very often proceeds from prolonged practice of virtues: for many experience a certain weariness and tedium from the fact that the same efforts must often be repeated; to conquer this the special virtue of perseverance is given, which from this motive strengthens the appetite because to persevere against tedium is good, from the intention of persisting, and by reason of the special honesty which is in this, that it overcomes weariness arising from duration. c) It imitates fortitude because it sustains a lesser difficulty, just as fortitude sustains danger of death. d) It is in the irascible appetite because it restrains fear of fatigue and tedium or of defect arising from the duration of the work (a. 2, ad 2).

929. Two vices are opposed to perseverance: a) by defect, softness of soul, which easily recedes from a good proposal on account of difficulties occurring in the continuation of the work or from the tedium of duration: this disposition arises partly from natural temperament, partly from the custom of indulging pleasures and from horror of difficulties; b) by excess or abuse, obstinacy (entetement), or an inclination to persist in a proposal when right reason dictates that one must desist. For, if we ought to persevere in a proposal as long as the good appears to right reason, one must recede from it when it is certainly detected to have been undertaken from erroneous judgment, or when circumstances change in such a way that what before was good and opportune now becomes evil or at least less good.

They are grave or light sins according to the matter.

930. Constancy (standvastigheid) is a habit by which we firmly persist in the good against difficulties which arise from any exterior impediments whatsoever. It partly agrees with perseverance and partly differs. They agree in the end, because each firmly persists in good; they differ according to those things which bring difficulty to this persistence: the virtue of perseverance is against the difficulty which arises from the very duration of the act and which is more essential to the act of virtue; constancy is against difficulty from any extrinsic impediments whatsoever which bring sadness. Hence, although according to matter it agrees with patience, according to the end it pertains to perseverance; and because the end is more powerful, therefore constancy pertains more to perseverance than to patience.

Constancy (Aristotle calls it perseverance) is not a virtue strictly so called, because it does not render man perfect, since it makes him persist in good notwithstanding impediments arising from an inordinate and superabundant passion; but perfection exists if the sensitive appetite is perfectly subjected and conformed to reason. Hence it is in the will, which resists passions, especially the sadnesses which withdraw from good, particularly those which arise from the privation of pleasures of touch, just as continence resists pleasures and concupiscences which entice toward evil.¹

¹ Cf. q. 137, a. 1, ad 1; a. 2, ad 1 and 2; q. 53, a. 5, ad 3; I-II, q. 58, a. 3, ad 2.

S. Th. II-II, q. 139 and 140.

931. The gift of fortitude. - A special gift of the Holy Spirit is necessary for conferring supernatural fortitude, because the virtue of fortitude does not suffice.

This indeed confers firmness of soul in doing goods and bearing evils, especially in arduous goods or evils, so that man according to his proper and connatural mode may sustain dangers, and not fail from the good because of the difficulty either of fulfilling some arduous work or of bearing some grave evil; but it does not suffice to give confidence of escaping any imminent dangers whatsoever, which exceeds human nature. This, however, is precisely what the gift of fortitude supplies.

To the gift of fortitude there fittingly corresponds the fourth beatitude: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice. For "fortitude consists in arduous things. But it is very arduous that someone not only do virtuous works, which commonly are called works of justice, but do them with a certain insatiable desire, which can be signified by hunger and thirst for justice" (a. 2).²

² Dionysius the Carthusian, De donis, tr. III, a. 18.

Justice therefore is not to be taken in the strict sense as a particular virtue, but in the broad and universal sense which consists in the works of all the virtues, in which fortitude, which is a gift, intends the arduous (ad 1). To this gift correspond two among the fruits of the Holy Spirit, namely, patience, which regards the sustaining of evils, and longanimity, which can regard the long expectation and operation of goods (ad 3).

932. Precepts of fortitude. - Since fortitude is very necessary for firmly and constantly persisting in the way of salvation, of faith, justice, and virtue, even when great difficulties of this life or the very danger of death stand in the way, therefore it was necessary to give explicit precepts concerning fortitude. And indeed:

1. The end of divine law is that man cleave to God; and therefore the precepts of divine law concerning fortitude are given according as it agrees with the order of the mind toward God. Hence in Deut. XX, 3, it is said: "Do not fear,... because the Lord your God is in the midst of you, and will fight for you against your adversaries" (cf. Jos. VIII, 1; Is. VII, 4; q. 140, a. 1).

But since "the Old Testament has temporal promises, but the New has spiritual and eternal ones,... therefore it was necessary that in the old law the people be instructed how they ought to fight even corporeally, in order to acquire an earthly possession. But in the New Testament men had to be instructed how by fighting spiritually they might arrive at possession of eternal life, according to that saying of Mt. XI, 12: The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent bear it away. Hence also Peter commands, I Pet. V, 8: Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour; resist him, strong in faith; and James IV, 7: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Yet because men tending toward spiritual goods could be withdrawn from them by corporeal dangers, precepts of fortitude also had to be given in the new law for sustaining temporal evils bravely, according to that saying of Mt. X, 28: Fear not those who kill the body" (ad 1).

But the precepts had rather to be given negatively, because "law in its precepts has common instruction. But those things which are to be done in dangers cannot be reduced to some common good, as those things which are to be avoided can. And therefore the precepts of fortitude are given more negatively than affirmatively" (ad 2).

2. "Divine law perfectly informs man concerning those things which are necessary for living rightly. But man needs for living rightly not only principal virtues, but also secondary and annexed virtues; and therefore in divine law, just as fitting precepts are given concerning the acts of the principal virtues, so also fitting precepts are given concerning the acts of the secondary and annexed virtues" (a. 1).

These precepts concern patience (Eccli. II, 4; Rom. XII, 12; Jas. V, 7; Hebr. X, 36) and perseverance (Hebr. XII, 7; I Cor. XV, 58), which respectively are concerned with the afflictions and labors of the present life, and therefore pertain to all; but not with magnanimity or magnificence, which have a certain excellence of greatness, and therefore fall more under counsels of perfection than under precepts of necessity (ad 1).

3. Human laws are ordained to some temporal goods, and therefore according to the fittingness of these goods precepts of fortitude are found in human laws (a. 1), for example, concerning labor not to be deserted or concerning the defense of the republic even with danger of life.

But the means for acquiring fortitude must be diligently employed, the more so because there is less occasion for exercising it than for the virtues of justice and temperance or their annexed virtues. The timidity of the just in external and public life is to be lamented, which harms the common good much; and a defect of fortitude brings many disasters in individual and domestic life. The principal means are customarily enumerated:

a) Frequent meditation on the fragility and vileness of temporal goods, when they are compared with eternal goods; from which it will come about that a good man does not fear evils but rather desires them as means of acquiring and increasing eternal happiness, contemns pleasures and honors, and is moved neither by human threats nor flatteries.

b) Foresight of evils, so that against them we may strengthen the will lest we be overcome by them, but may be able to overcome them.

c) The custom of acting strenuously in lesser things occurring daily, so that we may already be prepared to sustain graver things bravely and to approach them manfully: thus like a good soldier giving himself to daily exercise of arms. Wherefore let educators provide a virile formation for young people and propose noble and brave actions to them as an example.

d) Great esteem and love of fortitude on account of its own proper excellence.

e) Fervent love of God, which adds the greatest strength to the will: love is strong as death (Cant. VIII, 6); love joined to the imitation of Christ in heroic fortitude, and to fervent prayer with full confidence in the help of the Holy Spirit, who will grant the gift of fortitude, for we have promised to us the Holy Spirit himself, "the spirit of counsel and fortitude."

Fortified by these things, we can conclude with the Apostle, Rom. VIII, 35 sq.: "Who then shall separate us from the charity of Christ? tribulation? or distress? or hunger? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword?... But in all these things we overcome because of him who loved us. For I am certain that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor virtues, nor things present, nor things future, nor fortitude, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the charity of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The chief vice opposed to Perseverance, as Bl. Bonaventure teaches, in speculo animae, cap. 1. and p. p. Centil. sect. 18., is Obstinacy, at whose extreme stands softness. So Bl. Thomas, quaest. 138. art. 1. Obstinacy has excess, softness defect. For the praise of Perseverance is that one not withdraw from good on account of difficulties; from which both the soft man withdraws, who lightly yields to difficulties; and the obstinate, who persists in his purpose beyond reason; for the obstinate man is an impudent holder-fast, as Isidore says, lib. 10. Etymol.

These Aristotle calls in 7. Eth. cap. 9. Ischyrognomones, that is, of strong opinion, or Idiognomones, that is, of their own opinion, more than is fitting. As it were nails fixed in a wall, which are the gnomons on clocks.

But the magnitude of the vices opposed to Perseverance is to be estimated from the reason of the matter in which one falls short, or in which one persists beyond what is due, and from the consequent losses.