Pope Francis dedicated his catechesis at the General Audience this Wednesday, April 17, to the virtue of temperance, which means “power over oneself.”
Below is the complete catechesis of Pope Francis:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today I will talk about the fourth and final cardinal virtue: temperance. This virtue shares with the other three a history that goes back far in time and does not belong only to Christians. For the Greeks, the practice of virtues had happiness as its goal.
The philosopher Aristotle wrote his most important treatise on ethics, addressing it to his son Nicomachus, to instruct him in the art of living. Why do we all seek happiness and yet so few achieve it? This is the question. To answer this question, Aristotle addresses the topic of virtues, among which enkráteia, temperance, occupies a prominent place. The Greek term literally means “power over oneself.”
Temperance is a power over oneself. This virtue is, therefore, the capacity for self-control, the art of not letting oneself be overwhelmed by rebellious passions, of bringing order to what Manzoni calls the “mess of the human heart.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that: “temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and seeks balance in the use of created goods.” “She – the Catechism continues – ensures the dominion of the will over the instincts and keeps desires within the limits of honesty. The moderate person orients his sensitive appetites towards good, maintains a healthy discretion and does not allow himself to be carried away to follow the passion of his heart” (no. 1809).
So, temperance, as the Italian word says, is the virtue of just measure. In every situation, behave wisely, because people who act out of impetus or exuberance are ultimately unreliable.
People without temperance are not trustworthy, always. In a world where so many people boast about saying what they think, the temperamental person prefers, instead, to mean what they say. Do you understand the difference? Don’t say the first thing you think like that, but think about what you should say. He does not make empty promises, but commits himself to the extent that he can fulfill them.
Even with pleasures the temperamental person acts judiciously. The free flow of impulses and the total license granted to pleasures end up turning against us, plunging us into a state of boredom. How many people who have voraciously wanted to try everything have found that they have lost their taste for everything! Better than finding the right measure: for example, to appreciate a good wine, savouring it in small sips is better than swallowing it all in one gulp.
The temperamental person knows how to weigh and measure words well. He does not allow a moment of anger to ruin relationships and friendships that can only be rebuilt with great effort.
Especially in family life, where inhibitions are lower, we all run the risk of not keeping tensions, irritations, and anger under control. There is a time to speak and a time to remain silent, but both require the right measure. And this applies to many things, such as being with others and being alone.
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If the temperamental person knows how to control his irascibility, this does not mean that he is always seen with a peaceful and smiling face. Sometimes it is necessary to be outraged, but always in the right way. These are the words: a just measure and a just way. A word of reproach is sometimes healthier than a bitter and resentful silence.
The temperamental person knows that there is nothing more uncomfortable than correcting another, but he also knows that it is necessary: otherwise evil would be given free rein. In certain cases, the temperamental one manages to keep the extremes together: he affirms absolute principles, and claims non-negotiable values, but he also knows how to understand people and show empathy for them. He demonstrates empathy.
The gift of the temperamental is, therefore, balance, a quality as precious as it is rare. Everything, in fact, in our world pushes towards excess. On the other hand, temperance goes well with evangelical attitudes such as smallness, discretion, dissimulation, and meekness.
He who is temperate appreciates the esteem of others but does not make it the only criterion for every action and every word. He is sensitive, knows how to cry and is not ashamed of it, but he does not cry over himself. Defeated, he rises; Victorious, he can return to his old hidden life as always. He doesn’t seek applause, but he knows that he needs others.
It is not true that temperance makes us grey and joyless. On the contrary, it makes one better enjoy the goods of life: being together at the table, the tenderness of certain friendships, the trust of wise people, the amazement at the beauty of creation. Happiness with temperance is the joy that blooms in the hearts of those who recognize and value what matters most in life. Let us pray to the Lord to give us this gift, the gift of maturity, maturity of age, emotional maturity, and social maturity. The gift of temperance. Thank you.