Faith, Hope and Love
The Theological Virtues
Fr Andrew Pinsent
Catholic Truth SocietyISBN 9781784691547
eISBN 9781784692094
ASIN B072L45SL5
CTS Booklet SP49
This is the third volume from Father Andrew Pinsent that I have read. They have all been well worth the read. I greatly enjoyed this book and the companion volume. I have been focusing on this series and CTS books by Pope Benedict XVI lately, I have been tracking down as many of each as I can find, and I believe I now have all from this series. This is another great read in a wonderful series. Over the last several years, I have read many books from the Catholic Truth Society, in fact over 455 of them as of the reading of this volume; many read more than once; this all since the spring of 2018. Most were good reads; some were great reads; and a few are exceptional. This was the twenty-first in the Deeper Christianity Series that I have read; many of them have been read twice. This booklet was originally published 2017 and the eBook edition was released at the same time. The description of this volume is:
“How should we live our lives and how can we grow in goodness? The three theological virtues (Faith, Hope and Charity) and their meaning is examined here, in the context of the Christian revolution in virtue ethics.
What is a good human being and who is good? Has anyone ever been perfect and, if so, who? How does one grow in goodness and become perfect? What is man really? What would we be like, male and female, if human nature could ever be brought to perfection? This book is an attempt to answer these questions by examining the meaning of virtue following the coming of Christ, or what one might call the ‘Christian Revolution’ of virtue ethics, particularly in regard to the theological virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity.”
About the series we are informed:
“The Deeper Christianity Series delves into the mysteries of Christianity, opening up the spiritual treasures of the Church.”
The chapters in the book are:
Introduction
Forming Character
Unity of the Virtues
The Darkness of the World
Christ and the Life of Grace
Divine Love (caritas)
Faith (fides)
Hope (spes)
Practical Concluding Remarks
I highlighted numerous passages while reading this volume, some of them are:
“What is a good human being and who is good? Has anyone ever been perfect and, if so, who? How does one grow in goodness and become perfect? What is man really? What would man be like, male and female, if human nature could ever be brought to perfection?”
“Jesus Christ, who won our salvation not by killing his enemies but enduring death by crucifixion as the atonement for our sins, radically transformed the notion of goodness.”
“This present booklet, commissioned by the Catholic Truth Society, is an attempt to answer these questions by examining the meaning of virtue following the coming of Christ, or what one might call the ‘Christian Revolution’ of virtue ethics.”
“The first booklet examines the virtues of the Christian in relation to God (the theological virtues). A second, accompanying booklet examines the virtues of the Christian in relation to the world (the cardinal virtues).”
“Setting aside the neutral words, and precisely how the positive words relate to goodness and the negative words to evil, the good aspects of a person’s character are called ‘virtues’ and the evil aspects are called ‘vices’.”
“As a metaphor, a virtuous man is like a healthy or fruitful plant, whereas a vicious man is like a diseased and decayed plant.”
“Character is also extremely important in every profession, vocation and way of life.”
“What is particularly important is the hope that good and evil dispositions can be shaped and even radically transformed while we are still alive. Indeed, much of what is meant by becoming a good person consists in acquiring the virtues and eliminating the vices. Of course, this transformation is easier said than done, as dispositions can often be hard to change.”
“Consequently, if we want to be happy, the formation of virtue should be a central project of our lives.”
“The general principle is that repeated virtuous actions themselves produce virtue (a virtuous circle), just as repeated vicious actions lead to vice (a vicious circle).”
“In the Latin-speaking world, these four principal virtues, under which all other virtues were grouped, were given a special name: the ‘cardinal virtues’ from the Latin word ‘cardo’ meaning ‘hinge’. With modifications, the idea of four cardinal virtues was incorporated later into Christian virtue ethics.”
“A Christian is not just someone with a special set of beliefs, but a supernaturalised human being, a child of God.”
“Divine love therefore has two principal desires: a desire for union with another, and an ecstatic desire for the other’s true good as the good one seeks for oneself.”
“Quite simply, we cannot claim to love others if we do not want to spend any time with them, and we cannot receive or exercise divine love if we refuse to pray.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for the volume. This volume is a fairly easy read. Anyone with a secondary education could easily work through it. But it is one of those books that you could work through many times over your lifetime and each time come away with something new or deeper to appreciate about it. I really enjoyed this book.
This book is an excellent read in a wonderful series. The CTS Deeper Christianity Series of books are written in such a way that they can easily be read in any order. Pick and choose the ones that interest you, read them in order, or jump around. I have been blessed by the entire series that I have read and can highly recommend this book and the series.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.
Books in the Deeper Christianity Series:
7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit 8 Deadly Sins Learning to Defend the Life of Grace
Art and Prayer
Depths of Scripture
Desire & Delight
Faith, Hope and Love The Theological Virtues
Fruits of the Holy Spirit Living a Happy Life
Icons
Lectio Divina Spiritual Reading of the Bible
Kingdom of God
Desire & Delight
Faith, Hope and Love The Theological Virtues
Fruits of the Holy Spirit Living a Happy Life
Icons
Lectio Divina Spiritual Reading of the Bible
Kingdom of God
Making Sunday Special
Mary in the Liturgy
Mary Mysteries of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Providence and Prayer
Prayer in Sadness and Sorrow
Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance
Purgatory A Mystery of Love
Rediscovering Virtue The Art of Christian Living
Mary in the Liturgy
Mary Mysteries of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Providence and Prayer
Prayer in Sadness and Sorrow
Prudence, Justice, Courage, and Temperance
Purgatory A Mystery of Love
Rediscovering Virtue The Art of Christian Living
Teachings on Prayer
The Call to Evangelise: Founded on loving intimacy with the Lord
The Church's Year Unfolding the Mysteries of Christ
The Gift of Prayer
The Church's Year Unfolding the Mysteries of Christ
The Gift of Prayer
The Name of God The Revelation of the Merciful Presence of God
The Trinity and the Spiritual Life
The Trinity and the Spiritual Life
Books by Father Andrew Pinsent:
Why? Course Book
Evangelium Presenter's Guide: Sharing the Riches of the Catholic Faith
Evangelium Participant's Book: Sharing the Riches of the Catholic Faith
Faith, Hope and Love - The Theological Virtues
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