The gift of fortitude enables a person to practise the virtue of fortitude. This gift makes us firm in our faith, and gives us courage to perform faithfully all our duties.

The gift of fortitude corresponds to the beatitude, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice.”

St. Augustine wrote, “Fortitude becomes the hungry and thirsty, since those who desire to enjoy true goods, and wish to avoid loving earthly and material things, must toil.”

St. Thomas Aquinas commented, “Fortitude is about difficult things. Now it is very difficult not merely to do virtuous deeds, which receive the common designation of works of justice, but furthermore to do them with an unsatiable desire, which may be signified by hunger and thirst for justice.”

The little martyr boy

The touching story of a 4-year-old Japanese martyr, St. Ignatius Jorjes, is a wonderful illustration of the gift of fortitude.

Ignatius was the son of Dominic Jorjes and Isabel Fernandez. Dominic Jorjes was martyred Nov. 18, 1619, when Ignatius was an infant.

When Ignatius was old enough to understand that his father had been put to death for the faith, he was heard to say, “I am going to be a martyr also.”

When little Ignatius made a present to anyone, he used to say, “Be sure and keep this carefully, for the day will come when it will be a relic.” When he was asked what he meant by these words, he would answer: “Because I am going to be a martyr.”

One time Ignatius saw some swords. He cried out: “One of these swords will one day cut off my head, and make a martyr of me.”

The prophecy of the little saint was soon fulfilled. He and his mother, St. Isabel Fernandez, were arrested for sheltering Blessed Charles Spinola, the priest who had baptized Ignatius. They were cast into prison and Sept. 10, 1622, was the day fixed for their death.

Both Isabel and her son welcomed death with great joy, and put on their best garments.

Upon seeing Father Spinola, Isabel bowed to him and bade him her last farewell. The good priest asked, “Where is my little Ignatius?” Isabel answered, “He is here by my side.” She took Ignatius up in her arms and said to the boy, “Look at our dear Father there, who is asking about you; bow your head to him, and ask him for his blessing.”

The child did as he was told. Father Spinola, whose hands were tied, could not raise them up to give the blessing, but he looked up to heaven, and then towards the boy, as a sign that he blessed him, showing that he was touched to his inmost soul.

Pointing to her child, Isabel said to priest: “Father, this is the most precious offering I can make to God, and I make it with all my heart.”

When the executioners came near, the heroic mother calmly presented her head to receive the stroke of death.

After the death of his mother, little Ignatius showed the great fortitude in his soul. He knelt down, crossed his little arms on his breast, and with his eyes fixed on the remains of his mother, awaited the blow which was to unite him to her again in heaven.

The sword was lifted up, and in another instant, the soul of the blessed child entered into heaven.

Our Lady is the Queen of Martyrs. St. Alphonsus said, “She herself would have nailed her Son to the cross had such been God’s will; for she possessed the gift of fortitude in a higher degree than Abraham.”

「剛毅」助長「勇德」，給我們堅守信德、善盡本份的勇力。

「剛毅」相若於真福八端的：「飢渴慕義的人」。聖奧斯定認為：「剛毅適宜於飢與渴。因為那些渴望享受真善的人，以及那些願意避免愛戀世俗和世物的人，需要不辭勞苦。」

聖多瑪斯說：「剛毅是關於困難的事。修德行(即行義德的工作) 已不容易，若要懷着不止的渴望 (即飢渴慕義) 去修就更不在話下了。」

致命小男孩

日本致命小男孩聖依納爵.佐植，他致命時剛毅的勇德，表現無遺。

一六一九年十一月十八日，當在依納爵.佐植還是嬰兒的時候，父親真福道明.佐植為主致命。小佐植稍長時，已經明白父親是一位勇敢的殉道者；他常言：「我也會為主捨生。」「我給你的東西要好好保存，總有一天，它會被看作聖髑；因為我會致命。」

有一次，小佐植望著幾把利劍，喊道：「其中一把會砍下我的頭顱，讓我做殉道者。」他的預言果然成真！

一六二二年，因收留為小佐植付洗的真福嘉祿.史比諾拉神父，小佐植和他的母親聖依撒伯爾.法納德，同時被迫害教會的日本官員逮捕。他們和其他教友被囚牢中，等待九月十日殉道之期。

行刑之日，小佐植和母親聖法納德欣喜萬分，穿著光鮮。

見到史比諾拉神父，法納德躬身向他作最後道別。史比諾拉神父問起小佐植，法納德答說：「他在這裡，就在我身旁。」她抱起自己的小孩，吩咐說：「看親愛的神父問及你哩。低下頭接受他的降福罷。」小佐植依從母親吩咐，低下頭；雙手被綑縛的史比諾拉神父，先舉目向天，再轉看小佐植，用眼神降福了這小孩童。母親法納德向神父說：「我衷心把這孩子獻給天主，他是我能奉獻最珍貴的！」

小佐植目睹母親引頸受刑，自己亦跪下來，雙手交叉放在胸膛，眼睛一直注視著亡母的遺體，勇敢地接受了斬首死刑。這樣，母子英烈的靈魂，天堂再聚。

對於聖母 —— 諸為義致命之后，聖雅風說：「如果是天主的聖意，聖母亦不惜釘自己的聖子在十字架上；因為她剛毅的勇德，超越聖祖亞巴郎。」