The first thing God did not see as good in the Garden of Eden had nothing to do with sin, but loneliness. Even with all the animals surrounding him, Adam still felt isolated. He alone had been infused with God’s Spirit. In his solitude, Adam had discovered the design of his being: communion. Just as God is a communion of three persons yet one God—the Holy Trinity—so too human beings were created to flourish in community.
Communal living is an art. In its most perfect form, it requires rightly ordered relationships with every person we encounter because all are created in the image of God. Therefore, whether it is someone we have known from birth or whether we happen upon one another on the subway, each person is worthy of our time, attention, and effort.
The Church, in her wisdom, offers us the cardinal virtues—justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance—which can help guide our interactions with others. By keeping these virtues close at hand, we allow the Holy Spirit room to work in our hearts and our relationships. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) opens up these virtues for us, demonstrating how life-changing and life-giving they can be.
The Good Samaritan was just.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) no. 1807 explains, “Justice toward men disposes one to respect the rights of each and to establish in human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regard to persons and to the common good.” As the parable goes, two other men passed by the victim of robbers prior to the Good Samaritan. Those two were religious leaders, men considered upstanding members of society, teachers of the law, and moral authorities. They passed by the victim, going so far as to move to the opposite side of the road to avoid any possible delay or guilt. The Good Samaritan saw the victim as a fellow human being, a person of dignity and worth that surpassed religious affiliation (recall that Jews and Samaritans did not agree on religious matters and refused even to eat with one another). It was justice that stirred in his compassionate heart and brought him to pause on the side of the road.
The Good Samaritan then shows us true fortitude.
Fortitude, often called courage or strength, is the virtue that “ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good” (CCC 1808). The Good Samaritan’s actions were socially unthinkable. Jesus’ story was shocking in this regard. Not only did the Samaritan pause, but he had the strength of character and will to assist the victim who did not belong to his family, town, or religious culture.
The story could have been complete there. The people were likely already shocked enough by the inattention of the first two men and the actions of the Good Samaritan to care for the victim on the roadside. But Jesus isn’t finished just yet.
The Good Samaritan also highlights the cardinal virtue of prudence.
Prudence “is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it” (CCC 1806). The victim’s wounds must have been extensive. Even after bandaging, the man was unable to stand and support himself. Recognizing his own limitations as a healer, and with prudence as his guide, the Good Samaritan set aside his plans for his journey and helped the man to a nearby inn.
Finally, the virtue of temperance is readily apparent in the Good Samaritan’s exchange with the innkeeper.
Scholars are unclear about how much the two silver coins were worth or how much care they were expected to provide. Regardless of the sum, the intention tells us much about the virtue of temperance. Temperance, also called moderation, is the “moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods” (CCC 1809). The Good Samaritan did not give everything he had in a show of extravagance. Nor did he insist the innkeeper take over the task without assistance. The Good Samaritan offered what he could in the moment while still providing for himself and his further journey.
The cardinal virtues are embodied par excellence in the Good Samaritan’s final action.
He instructed the innkeeper: “Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back” (Luke 10:35). The Good Samaritan maintained a sense of justice for both the victim and the innkeeper. He had the fortitude to see this situation through to the end. He was prudent in his recognition that he could not foretell the future and perhaps his assistance would still be needed later. And he lived temperately by maintaining proper stewardship over his finances and obligations without leaning into excess or stinginess.
By following the example of the Good Samaritan, we, too, can become the neighbor we are called to be.
Through the cardinal virtues, we discover that each person presented to us is an opportunity to both practice and grow virtue. We will begin to learn that the art of living is the art of loving —loving our neighbor, our friends, our family, and even strangers—with justice, fortitude, prudence, and temperance.
Kate Taliaferro is an Air Force wife and mother to six children. She holds a Masters in Religious Education and writes regularly on Substack at https://katetaliaferro.substack.com.
Accademia Ligustica di Belle Arti, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
