Building off the Gift of Knowledge which supernaturally inspires a man to both seek the truth of God as it relates to living on earth and to practically apply the truth of God in his daily thoughts, words and deeds, the Holy Spirit endows a man with the Gift of Fortitude which gives a man the supernatural power and perseverance to battle against the temptations of Satan in the daily combat and endure in doing the great and heroic works God is calling him to do to build the Kingdom of God.
The Holy Spirit endows a man with the Gift of Fortitude so his natural efforts to cultivate the human Virtue of Fortitude can be lifted to the supernatural level necessary for him to aspire to Heaven. The Gift of Fortitude supernaturally helps a man to successfully engage in Spiritual Combat by strengthening the parts of the Virtue of Fortitude: Magnanimity, Magnificence, Courage, Perseverance, and Patience.
The Gift of Fortitude gives man the Magnanimity of a Saint
Magnanimity is the good habit of a man who imagines, is inspired and motivated to pursue great things in the world.
Helps the willing man realize the true Magnanimity of serving God
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Allow the Gift of Fortitude to remain dormant in the soul of a Catholic man who so strongly prefers worldly pleasures and pursuits that he will not consider the true Magnanimity of every man’s call by God to seek Sainthood by helping build His Kingdom on earth.
- Choose to give the Gift of Fortitude to a Catholic man who is willing to listen and reveal the true Magnanimity of turning away from the world and seeking God above all things.
Motivates a man to consider the Magnanimity of Sainthood
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Inspire a man to realize the awesome greatness of Jesus Christ and consider taking on the highest Magnanimity of living to imitate Him.
- Lead a man to meditate upon the Magnanimity of the Saints, particularly the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and the Apostles, and motivate him to consider following in the footsteps of the Saints.
- Lift a man’s will to believe in Christ’s call to every man to become a Saint and take on the Magnanimity of Sainthood, trusting that God can do the impossible and make him a Saint.
Inspires a Catholic man to pursue the Magnanimity of Sainthood
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Inspire a Catholic man to have a conversion, or reconversion of the heart, giving him the firm and unshakable resolve to pursue the Magnanimity of Sainthood with a pure motive which rejects selfish purposes and seeks to serve God for God’s sake alone.
- Inspire a Catholic man to steadfastly commit to the Magnanimity of the sure and certain Path of Sainthood which is only found in Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church.
- Lead a man to the Magnanimity of the special vocation God is calling him to pursue, including his vocation in the Church (husband, single man, priest, deacon or religious) and the special talents (education, career, special skills, etc.) God desires the man to develop to serve His Church.
The Gift of Fortitude helps a man achieve the Magnificence of Holiness
Magnificence is the good habit of a man who, after aspiring to Magnanimity, puts forth the extraordinary and sustained effort to bring his noble aspirations into concrete reality, investing his time, talent and money with selfless generosity for a noble cause.
Helps a Catholic man endure supernatural attacks by Satan
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- The Gift of Fortitude, like all the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, become more pronounced in a Catholic man’s life when he remains free from mortal sin and cries out and receives the Gifts of the Holy Spirit; as the Spirit’s Presence becomes greater in the soul of a man, Satan and his demons retreat, both frightened of God’s power and preferring to attack the poor unfortunate men who lack the Spirit.
- Protect a man by exposing Satan’s attacks and strengthening a man’s will to pursue his Magnificent calling to help build the Kingdom of God.
- Protect a man against the attacks of Satan by mobilizing the Angels, particularly St. Michael the Archangel and the Guardian Angel God has specifically created to help each specific man, to surround a man and ward off demons.
- Inspire a Catholic man to recognize and joyfully accept his Magnificent calling to engage in the Spiritual Combat to achieve the great and noble work of seeking Heaven, and leading many others to the salvation of God through His Holy Catholic Church.
Strengthens and supernaturally elevates a Catholic man’s quest for Magnificence
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Help a Catholic man overcome the common barriers to pursuing Magnificence, including Sloth, Effeminacy/Weakness, Sinful Ambition, Vainglory and Greed.
- Inspire a Catholic man to put forth his best and right efforts to achieve his Magnificent purpose and protect him from being stingy (Miserly) or wasteful (Prodigality) in using his talents.
- Strengthen a Catholic man find great joy and comfort in the Magnificence of being counter-cultural and an outsider, refusing to submit to the low expectations of perverted norms of a sick culture.
- Motivate a Catholic man to experience and hunger for the Magnificence of seeking the perfection of Sainthood and serving his Lord and Master Jesus Christ in the building of His Kingdom.
The Gift of Fortitude gives a man Holy Courage
Courage is the good habit of a man who when faced with danger which is appropriately to be feared, bravely faces down that fear with proper good sense in a deliberate way.
Transforms a Catholic man’s natural Courage to be holy Courage
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Inspire a Catholic man to seek true Courage and avoid the evil of being cowardly or foolishly risking himself or others out of stupidity or the desire for for personal glory.
- Purify a Catholic man’s interior motives while responding Courageously to evil to eliminate any sinful hatred, anger, unholy vengeance or desire for selfish rewards.
- Ensure that a Catholic man responds to evil, not with evil, but with true Courage in service to Charity and never take sinful acts to attempt to seek some good outcome.
- Direct a Catholic man’s Courageous words and actions to admonish sinners, inspire others to holiness and be a witness who draws others to Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church.
Gives a Catholic man the strength for holy Courage
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Strengthen a Catholic man to Courageously face frightening evil by Satan and those who cooperate with Satan with calmness and resoluteness, refusing to retreat when to do so would be immoral, even in the face of horrific attack, injury and even martyrdom.
- Fortify a Catholic man to Courageously speak the truth and admonish others, even when to do so with Charity may lead to severe divisions with family and friends and result in deep personal Sorrow.
- Strengthen a Catholic man to Courageously stand for the truth of Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church when necessary, even when to do so may result in personal attacks, public condemnation, being smeared with lies, the loss of a job, legal attacks, imprisonment or sinful coercion in its many other forms.
- Make a Catholic man who seeks to Courageously serve Jesus Christ invincible, a man who is fearless of the evil of men and cannot be intimidated, silenced, coerced or manipulated to cooperate with evil.
The Gift of Fortitude gives a man the Perseverance to endure
Perseverance is the good habit of a man who, with unshakeable will, sustains strong effort and action to achieve his noble worldly purpose when confronted by obstacles, distractions, delays, fatigue and temptations.
Corrects the failure of a Catholic man’s human Perseverance
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Fortify a Catholic man’s Will so he refuses to retreat and deliberately accept seemingly impossible sacrifices with strength and stamina beyond his best human efforts for the glory of God.
- Elevate a Catholic man’s motivation to endure great sacrifice solely out of the love of God and seeking only to do the Will of God; a man who is blessed with holy Perseverance relies on God’s strength and not his own ability to endure sacrifice and suffering, suffers to be a witness of Christ, takes no pleasure in suffering itself and mourns and prays for the souls who persecute him.
Allows a Catholic man to Persevere sustain sacrifice and endure suffering
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Help a Catholic man sustain and strengthen his efforts in the Spiritual Combat, helping him relentlessly fight against the temptations of Satan and to take many holy acts (prayer, Sacraments, fasting, mortifications, Works of Mercy, etc.) to draw closer to God.
- Give a Catholic man the supernatural strength to endure all kinds of personal suffering (pain, weariness, anxiety, stress, loss, etc) and the suffering of loved ones with resolute faith, trust, and acceptance that the truth, beauty, and goodness of God’s Holy Will is accomplished in the midst of his suffering; the peace and joy of the faith of a Catholic man as he endures suffering becomes a witness to others of the power of Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church.
- Strengthen a Catholic man to sustain his efforts to perform difficult and seemingly impossible things which seek to serve God (e.g. enduring in a marriage during periods of stress/unhappiness, carrying for the chronically ill or dying, battling against some great evil like abortion, establishing a new apostolate or parish, evangelizing broken cultures, etc.).
- Help a Catholic man to endure, refuse to submit to evil persecution and courageously live a countercultural life that boldly professes and lives out the truth of Christ.
- Strengthen a Catholic man to confidently and joyfully accept God’s call to endure all forms of persecution and even martyrdom.
The Gift of Fortitude endows a man with holy Patience
Patience is the good habit of a man of the world who accepts the Sorrows that result from pain in his life and continues with unbroken spirit to seek to achieve his goals. Sorrows that a man experiences can come from various sources of pain including sacrifices he has chosen to make, his own immature reactions to situations and others, and from evil opposition that he encounters.
Helps a man recognize and accept Sorrow to grow in holiness
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Help a Catholic man recognize his own Sorrow and the Sorrows of others, helping him to always stand ready to oppose evil and to be prepared to bear his Sorrows in a holy way.
- Lead a Catholic man grow in Patience so that he can accept the Sorrows in his life and that they are blessings which when endured well can help build the Kingdom of God.
Helps a Catholic man Patiently Bear Sorrow to build the Kingdom of God
The Gift of Fortitude can supernaturally:
- Help a Catholic man recall his voluntary choices to sacrifice to achieve some great goal (fasting, difficult and tiring work, etc.) and strengthen him with firm resolve to Patiently endure the Sorrows that come from chosen sacrifices to build the Kingdom of God.
- Lead a Catholic man to recognize and confront his own sinful reactions to others and situations in the world, and give him greater Patience so he can lovingly endure annoyances and grow in holiness.
- Give a Catholic man the great strength to Patiently bear every kind of trial due to evil no matter the kind, extent, cause, timing, duration, or consequences, reminding him that the bearing of Sorrow is necessary and can accelerate his ascent towards Sainthood.
- Endow a Catholic man true Patience and soul-deep Joy in the midst of Sorrow, by reminding him of the glorious blessings which come from bearing Sorrows out of love for God, or the Spirit may simply give him Joy without any thought or effort on his part; the Spirit can protect a man against paralyzing grief, depression or despair and give a man the gift of peace, confidence, cheerfulness and even a sense of humor amidst the Sorrow.
- Guide a Catholic man to respond with Patience and empathy, leading him to consider how the other person’s great suffering led to their trespass and to forgive and pray for their conversion and healing in Christ.
- Help a Catholic man grow in the Patience to endure Sorrow by simply waiting, not directly reacting, and praying for a sinful person when it is the best way to grow in holiness and serve God.
- Strengthen a Catholic man to know when his Sorrow is a call to take appropriate action to admonish the sins of another.
- Empower a Catholic man to have the Patience and Charity to respond truthfully, firmly, and gently in the admonishment of a sinner, giving the sinner the best chance to accept their sin, repent and be reconciled with God and neighbor; through his heroic Patience in the Spirit, a Catholic man can bear great witness to Christ’s love and be an instrument in the conversion of the hearts of others.