The Three Virtues of the Heart

No philosopher of the modern age has written more insightfully about virtue than Josef Pieper.  He is able to make virtue attractive and explain how it is not some kind of social ornament, but necessary for the fulfillment of the human being.  “Virtue,” he states, “is the utmost of what a man can be; it is the realization of the human capacity for being.”

Virtue, in addition to developing one’s character, is also an expression of love.  Since love is associated with the heart, the three virtues that most clearly manifest this fact are kindness, lightheartedness, and warmheartedness.  This triad is free of controversy and is welcomed by anyone.  They are infectious and apply their blessings, unlike many other virtues, with unaccustomed immediacy.

It is a great complement to say of another person that he has a kind heart.  We know, as in the case of Ramses or Judas, how the heart can harden.  The encouragement of a random act of kindness carries the conviction that the road to a better world is through acts of kindness. 

Such acts can be anonymous, but regardless they are always beneficial.  Because of their association with the heart, they displace anger, apathy, and envy.  Acts of kindness do not require thanks.  They are pure, detached from any notion of praise.  In this sense, they are specifically Christian.  In Matthew 6:2-4, we read: 

Thus, we you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do . . . But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The kind-hearted person has a certain sympathy for others.  This is his motivation for providing acts of kindness.  His concern is focused solely on the other and not at all on himself.  The ego often gets in the way of virtuous acts and spoils them by demanding thanks.  William Wordsworth captures the paradox of kindheartedness when he states that it is “that best portion of a man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

 “A light heart lives long,” wrote Shakespeare (Love’s Labours Lost, V: iii).  The opposite of being lighthearted is to be depressed, despondent, down in the dumps.  The gloomy person has lost his wings and can no longer fly. 

We are caught between two elementary forces:  grace and gravity.  Our natural aspiration is to move upwards.  Therefore, we love things that soar like a bird, fly like a plane, or ascend like rocket.  We call elevators, escalators, and lifts as such even though they are also designed to go downwards.  We live by hope.  And hope always suggests an upward movement.  “Angels fly,” wrote G. K. Chesterton, in one of his most memorable phrases, “because they take themselves lightly.”

The lighthearted person is cheerful, and his sense of humor is an antidote to the weightiness of the world.  God loves a cheerful giver as much for his good cheer as for his generosity.  St. Thomas Aquinas associated lightheartedness with hilarity or joyful fun, something we all need to remain balanced.  Gravity oppresses us, but grace lifts us to a higher plane.  We go up to Heaven and down to Hell.  Hilarity lifts our spirits and gives us the reassuring sense that we are truly lighthearted beings. 

The lighthearted person removes darkness, thereby echoing the moment of creation when God said, “Let there be light.”  “Let there be lightheartedness” is our appropriate response.  Merry Christmas is the fitting lightheartedness that follows the advent of the Light of the world.

Warmheartedness is the soft glow of love that wins people’s trust and renders them comfortable in an intimate, often domestic atmosphere.  It is a virtue generally associated with older people.  Pulitzer Prize winning author, J. P. Marquand, has remarked that “there is a certain phase in the life of the aged when the warmth of the heart seems to increase in direct proportion with years.”

Warmth has its source in the furnace of the heart.  Therefore, it communicates its warmth to others.  After talking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, his two companions said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).  Jesus’ words were accompanied by the warmth of His heart. 

Just as there is gravity that pulls us down, there is a coldness that chills our being.  We must warm our hearts despite the surrounding chill.  Then we can warm the hearts of others, as Jesus did for his two companions on the road to Emmaus.

One of the endearing features of warmheartedness is that its value is recognized with it being enacted.  The warm-hearted person possesses this virtue as a permanent feature of his character.  He is a warm-hearted person who is capable, now and then, of warm-hearted acts.

A person may have many virtues, such as faith, loyalty, courage, generosity, and gratitude.  But these virtues are not witnessed until they are put into action.  The three virtues of the heart, however, are recognized as personal traits without their being expressed.  They are virtues that are easily recognized by others because of the kindness, the light, and the warmth that are communicated on a continuing basis.  They are virtues that move from heart to heart without the necessity of an intervening medium.

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