As you have probably noticed from reading, Lewis is fond of looking at morality and how people ought to act. This chapter on “Cardinal Virtues” is no different. First, let’s look at what virtue means. Virtue is one of those words that encapsulates a number of other words to describe someone, much like the word integrity. Merriam-webster.com defines it in a variety of ways, “a particular moral excellence”, “manly strength and courage”, and “a capacity to act” among others. Virtue, paired with the word “Cardinal” which means “hinge on a door” and not any Roman Catholic connotations, Lewis wants to look at those words that are “pivotal”. The cardinal virtues (or pivotal virtues) are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude.
For many, these are unfamiliar words; that are not words commonly used today. Prudence is a term which requires one to think through the ramifications of things, for whatever the circumstance may call. Lewis says we should be simple, in the sense of making decisions with clarity and thought, while being cunning and strong. “He [Christ] wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim” (75). As Lewis says, the Christian life requires all of a person, mind, heart, and body.
Temperance is one of the most useful words we have forgotten, as a society and as Christians. It means, “going the right length and no further.” In one of Lewis’ other works, “The Ransom Trilogy”, Dr. Ransom lands on a foreign planet and walks underneath a tree with bubbles dropping from it. When he walks under the bubbles, one pops and showers him with a refreshing fluid. He feels alert and awake afterward. Ransom’s inclination is to walk underneath the tree again, but he waits for he knows that the experience will not be the same. Temperance says, “that was so enjoyable but that’s enough”, which is very different than the American mentality of want, want, want, have, have, have. We have an insatiable desire; we don’t practice temperance.
Justice, much like it sounds, deals with that sense of fairness and honesty. It’s saying that stealing is wrong for one person owned something, and it is not right for another person to take it especially without asking. Fortitude is courage in the fullest sense of the word, the courage to stand strong, particularly in the face of danger.
If we take all these words into account, then we begin to look at the word virtue and how it looks in our own lives and the lives of others. However, as Lewis demonstrates, virtue is more than acts and character qualities.
“But the truth is that right actions done for the wrong reason do not help to build the internal quality or character called a ‘virtue’… The point is not that God will refuse you admission to His eternal world if you have not got certain qualities of character: the point is that if people have not got at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, then no possible external conditions could make a ‘Heaven’ for them – that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, unshakable kind of happiness God intends for us” (78).
Against popular belief, the Christian life is more than just a set of rules; it is a matter one’s character and more specifically the heart, for Christ’s redeeming work is not about doing more good acts to earn God’s favor – Christ’s work is about a heart change. It is about a character that reflects God’s grace and kindness. It is a character of honesty and truthfulness that stands firm in the face of adversity from the world while being thoughtful and well-balanced. The Christian life is least of all characterized by laziness in any sense of the word.
We could spend a lot of time reflecting on the rest of these chapters, weeks in fact, but from this point forward, for the rest of Book 3, we will pick up speed. Join us next week as we look more specifically at the qualities and character traits of the Christian life.