Theological virtues are rooted in God and dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity (CCC 1812). These three virtues—faith, hope, and charity—are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to animate Christian moral activity and give life to all moral virtues (CCC 1813). Faith is a supernatural gift infused by God that requires the help of the Holy Spirit and involves the human intellect and will assenting to divine truth (CCC 153-155). Charity is the theological virtue by which one loves God above all things for His own sake and loves one’s neighbor as oneself for the love of God (CCC 1822). This expression of love is the new commandment of Jesus, who loved us to the end and asks us to love one another as He has loved us (CCC 1823-1824).

Human virtues, also known as moral virtues, are stable dispositions that govern acts and guide conduct in accordance with reason and faith (CCC 1834). Unlike theological virtues, human virtues such as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance are acquired through human effort and are the fruit of morally good acts (CCC 1805). These virtues grow through perseverance, deliberate acts, and education, serving to dispose the person for communion with divine love (CCC 1805, 1839).

The specific human virtues each serve a distinct role in guiding the person. Prudence guides practical reason to discern the true good in any circumstance and choose the correct means to achieve it (CCC 1806). Justice consists of giving one’s due to both neighbor and God, with the latter being termed the virtue of religion (CCC 1807). Fortitude allows an individual to face trials with courage, overcome obstacles, and resist temptations, even to the point of sacrificing one’s life for a just cause (CCC 1808). Temperance ensures balance in the use of created goods by moderating the attraction of pleasures and maintaining mastery over instincts (CCC 1809). Within this framework, chastity is a moral virtue under temperance that requires lifelong self-mastery and is also a gift from God that enables the imitation of Christ’s purity (CCC 2341-2345).

The primary difference between these two sets of virtues lies in their origin and their relationship to one another. While human virtues are developed through effort, theological virtues are infused by God and inform all moral virtues (CCC 1841). Divine grace is necessary to purify and elevate the human virtues (CCC 1839), as natural virtues alone are insufficient for perfect permanent virtue; the healing grace of the Savior is required to fulfill the commandments of the natural law (CCC 1979). Thus, the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity provide the supernatural foundation that animates and directs the human virtues (CCC 1813).