Chesterton: is virtue unreasonable?

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
    Commemoration of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Apologist and Writer, 1936
Meditation:
    Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
    —Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Quotation:
    As the word “unreasonable” is open to misunderstanding, the matter may be more accurately put by saying that each one of these Christian or mystical virtues involves a paradox in its own nature, and that this is not true of any of the typically pagan or rationalist virtues. Justice consists in finding out a certain thing due to a certain man and giving it to him. Temperance consists in finding out the proper limit of a particular indulgence and adhering to that. But charity means pardoning what is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all. Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. And faith means believing the incredible, or it is no virtue at all.
    ... Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936), Heretics [1905], New York: John Lane Co., 1909, p. 158 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, all Christian virtue must come from You. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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