Catholics find consolation in the three great virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love, which St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 are the three things that “remain” beyond this world and guide us into the next. Catholic Tradition has always called Faith, Hope, and Love the “Theological Virtues” because they come from Heaven and are not human in origin. As with all virtues, they are habits that dispose us to act for our own proper happiness, the greatest goal of which is the attainment of Eternal Life.
There are two things to be especially clear about when speaking of the Theological Virtues. First, they are gifts from God and cannot be obtained by human effort. Once we have these gifts, we can – and should – develop them by our efforts, but they can only acquired by asking for them. We can also ask that these gifts be given to others. Second, we receive these gifts primarily through the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, which the Church calls “Sacraments of Initiation” (Catechism, II.2.1).
Because these gifts only come through prayer, the Church has traditionally encouraged the faithful to make “acts” of Faith, Hope, and Love, whereby we both express these virtues as personal commitments and ask God to grant us an increase in them, as the Apostles did (Luke 17:5).
