Catholic Candle note: The article below is part sixteen of the study of the Choleric temperament. The first fifteen parts can be found here:

1. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #36: About the Temperaments – Beginning our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Part I: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/08/27/lesson-35-about-the-temperaments-the-choleric-temperament/
   

2. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #37: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament– Part II: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/09/26/lesson-37-about-the-temperaments-continuation-of-the-choleric-temperament/
   

3. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #38: About the Temperaments – Continuing our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part III:: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/10/24/lesson-38-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat/
   

4. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #39: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – That Temperament’s Spiritual Combat – Part IV: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/11/26/lesson-39-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-iv/
   

5. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #40: Temperaments – Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part V: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/12/30/lesson-40-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-v/
   

6. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #41: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament: a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat — Part VI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/01/27/lesson-41-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vi/
   

7. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #42: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part VII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/02/21/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vii/
   

8. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #43: About the Temperaments –Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament — Their Spiritual Combat Part VIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/03/27/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-viii/
   

9. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #44: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat, Part IX: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/04/23/lesson-44-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-ix/
   

10. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #45: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part X: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/05/20/lesson-45-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-x/
    

11. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #46: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Cholerics’ Spiritual Combat – Part XI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/06/28/lesson-46-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xi/
    

12. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #47: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/07/24/lesson-47-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xii/
    

13. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #48: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/08/29/lesson-48-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xiii/
    

14. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #49: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIV: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/09/24/lesson-49-temperaments-choleric-temperament-the-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xiv/

15. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #50: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XV: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/10/26/3050/
    

Mary’s School of Sanctity

Lesson #51: About the Temperaments –
Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament –
The Cholerics’ Spiritual Combat Part XVI

Note: When referring to a person with a choleric temperament in this article, we simply will call him a choleric.

In our last lesson we explained the basics about the passions and how they work in the soul. With this preparation finished, we now begin our look at the passion of fear in particular.

Using St. Thomas Aquinas as Our Guide

Because St. Thomas is so thorough in his treatment of everything, he is called the Doctor Communis, that is, the Common Doctor of the Church, because he is the one, most of all, to guide and instruct us in anything.¹ We will let St. Thomas, greatest Doctor of the Church, be our guide in our study. It is very valuable to look at St. Thomas’s explanation because he shows us so clearly how we are affected by our passions – in this case, by fear.

Where do we begin?

First, after showing that fear is indeed a passion in the soul (as we saw in our last lesson), St. Thomas then addresses two important questions, “Whether Fear is a Special Passion?” and “Whether There is a Natural Fear?

To the first question he answers simply that, yes, fear is a special passion – and explains why this is true. Here are his words:

The passions of the soul derive their species² from their objects; hence, that is a special passion which has a special object. However, fear has a special object, as hope has. For just as the object of hope is a future good, difficult but possible to obtain, so the object of fear is a future evil, difficult and irresistible. Consequently, fear is a special passion of the soul.³

To the second question (Whether There is a Natural Fear), St. Thomas begins by having us first understand what he means by the word “natural” in this context. Summarizing St. Thomas, movements can be called natural in two ways:

1. A movement is said to be natural simply speaking when the movement occurs without the involvement of the senses or the intellect. Some examples of this are the movement of fire which naturally inclines upward, the movement of a stone which tends to fall downward, and nutritive powers of animals and plants which tend to growth and life.
   

2. A movement is also said to be natural when nature inclines in a certain direction but man (or a different animal) does not move invariably. Such movement involves the senses or the intellect. St. Thomas remarks, “In this way, even the acts of the apprehensive power, such as understanding, feeling, and remembering, as well as the movements of the animal appetite, are sometimes said to be natural.”⁴

In this quote St. Thomas is acknowledging the fact that animals and man both have an animal nature. However, St. Thomas makes an important distinction that, for irrational animals, God put in them the ability to act in an ordered, reasonable way, and this is called instinct. By contrast, God created man to want the good and created man to use his reason to seek the good. Nevertheless, man is able to delude himself about what is good and in this way, St. Thomas tells us, that man is able to pursue the apparent good instead of the true good. So, for example, a tired student is able to pursue the apparent good of sleeping longer in the morning instead of the true good of attending class.

In a future article, we will discuss man’s ability to deceive himself. We will discuss this later, as we proceed with our study of the temperaments in general and in our focus on how fear affects each of the temperaments.

With these basic concepts in mind, let us now turn to St. Thomas’ division of the types of fear and apply them to the temperaments with a special focus on how fear hinders the intellectual life of the soul.

The Types of Fear

St. Thomas divides fear into six kinds. Here are his words:

Fear regards a future evil which surpasses the power of him who fears, so that it is irresistible. However, man’s evil, like his good, may be considered either in his action or in external things.

In his action, he has a twofold evil to fear.

1. First, there is the toil that burdens his nature: and hence arises laziness, as when he shrinks from work for fear of too much toil.

2. Second, there is the disgrace which damages him in the opinion of others. And thus:
   

   1. If disgrace is feared in a deed that is yet to be done, there is shamefacedness;
      

   2. If, however, it be in a deed already done, there is shame.

On the other hand, the evil that consists in external things may surpass man’s faculty of resistance in three ways.

1. First by reason of magnitude; when, that is to say, a man considers some great evil the outcome of which he is unable to gauge; and then there is amazement.
   

2. Second, by reason of its being unwonted;⁵ because, to wit, some unwonted evil arises before us, and on that account is great in our estimation. And then there is stupor, which is caused by the representation of something unwonted.
   

3. Third, by reason of its being unforeseen; thus, future misfortunes are feared, and fear of this kind is called anxiety.⁶
   

Some Considerations Regarding the Kinds of Fear Listed and Some Practical Applications

When St. Thomas is speaking of laziness here, he is referring to a man recoiling from the “toil of external work.” This pertains to a person who fears excessive toil. Anyone of any temperament could have this fear. This kind of person does not want to work but rather seeks to have fun or be idle. Of course, there are degrees of this kind of fear. In the worst case scenario, this fear prevents someone from being able to function in society and in his life. This displeases God very much.

We will discuss the various aspects of fear as we proceed with our investigation. In our study of the temperaments, one crucial thing to remember is that, in all of the difficulties people face, God expects man to use his reason to deal with all of his dilemmas. Indeed, when a person uses his reason properly – including when he forces himself to step back to consider his situation – then there is no problem that he cannot solve the way God wishes.

Shamefacedness is the fear of a base action.⁷ In other words, one anticipates that if he were to act in a low or base manner, he would bring embarrassment upon himself. If one uses shamefacedness properly, he would avoid doing bad deeds.

On the other hand, as St. Thomas explained above, when one does not think ahead concerning the consequences of an action, he is not using shamefacedness and is “leaping” into a bad deed. Then afterwards, he has the shame of having done the disgraceful deed. St. Thomas tells us here that shame is a kind of fear because a person fears that the past deed will be the occasion of future reproach or disgrace.

The amazement and stupor that St. Thomas is speaking about here are in regard to evil. Here are his words.

Not every amazement and stupor are species of fear, but that amazement which is caused by a great evil, and that stupor which arises from an unwonted evil. Or else we may say that, just as laziness shrinks from the toil of external work, so amazement and stupor shrink from the difficulty of considering a great and unwonted thing, whether good or evil: so that amazement and stupor stand in relation to the act of the intellect, as laziness does to external work.⁸

Here we find how St. Thomas aptly describes the fear of intellectual effort that affects so many people of all temperaments. We had discussed how the choleric who has bad will does not make the necessary efforts to think. One reason for this is because he does not want to take the time necessary to do a good job (by thinking carefully). Yet, the underlying cause is his fear of the mental toil. If he were to build the habit of thinking carefully, then he would no longer fear the effort required. As we will see in future articles, it is not only cholerics that fear intellectual efforts.

The devil certainly does not want anyone to enjoy using his highest faculty, viz., his intellect. Thus, the devil has been tempting man from the time of Adam’s fall until now, to believe that thinking is too hard. Of course, we must counteract this wretched falsehood of the devil and do everything we can to promote careful thinking in ourselves and in others and foster the further development of our minds.

One more consequence of the devil dissuading a person from thinking deeply and carefully about high truths is that he misses a valuable opportunity for humility through considering how ignorant he is, and comparing the little he knows to all the high and wonderful truths that there are to learn. God and His creation are marvelous and should fill us with a sense of awe! We could never learn enough to completely satisfy our natural thirst for knowledge! Therefore, thinking well promotes humility because we can better assess our limitations objectively. This is one reason why Satan does not want humans to think!

Anxiety is the last type of fear mentioned above. This fear certainly wreaks havoc on many fronts in our lives. Countless examples could be found of things that cause man anxiety. There is so much talk of stress in our lives but we rarely consider how our trusting dependence on God is a key remedy to all stress.⁹ This anxiety also has a direct connection to the concept of thinking deeply (discussed above). When one thinks carefully, he can be more objective in assessing his circumstances and is therefore less prone to anxiety and worry.

Something to Keep in Mind

So as we said in our last lesson, the passions are not bad in themselves. However, they must be used properly. Here we can see that fear in itself is a very important passion and when used well, it helps the moral life, and hence the spiritual life of a man.

A Preview… In our next lesson we will begin considering the Objects of Fear and will apply our understanding of fear to the temperaments.

Catholic Candle note: The article immediately below is part thirteen of the study of the Choleric temperament. The first twelve parts can be found here:

1. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #36: About the Temperaments – Beginning our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Part I: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/08/27/lesson-35-about-the-temperaments-the-choleric-temperament/
   

2. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #37: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament– Part II: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/09/26/lesson-37-about-the-temperaments-continuation-of-the-choleric-temperament/
   

3. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #38 — About the Temperaments – Continuing our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part III:: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/10/24/lesson-38-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat/
   

4. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #39 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – That Temperament’s Spiritual Combat – Part IV: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/11/26/lesson-39-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-iv/
   

5. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #40: Temperaments – Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part V: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/12/30/lesson-40-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-v/
   

6. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #41 – About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament: a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat — Part VI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/01/27/lesson-41-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vi/
   

7. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #42: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part VII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/02/21/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vii/
   

8. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #43 About the Temperaments –Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament — Their Spiritual Combat Part VIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/03/27/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-viii/
   

9. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #44 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat, Part IX: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/04/23/lesson-44-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-ix/
   

10. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #45 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part X: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/05/20/lesson-45-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-x/
    

11. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #46 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Cholerics’ Spiritual Combat – Part XI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/06/28/lesson-46-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xi/
    

12. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #47 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/07/24/lesson-47-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xii/
    

13. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #48 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/08/29/lesson-48-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xiii/

    
    

14. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #49 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIV: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/09/24/lesson-49-temperaments-choleric-temperament-the-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xiv/

Mary’s School of Sanctity

Lesson #50 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XV

Note: In this article, when referring to a person with a choleric temperament we simply will call him a “choleric”.

In our last lesson, we considered how we are all affected by the wounds of Original Sin and, in addition to this, we have our own personal inclinations and disinclinations which arise from our genetic (material, bodily) dispositions. We saw that one could have a natural disinclination to think deeply and how, ultimately, this disinclination stems back to the passion of fear.

The Passions Influence Us

We know that the passions are part of our human nature. We know that we all have them. In general, the passions work in our souls in the same way. However, what is unique to each of us is the strength of those passions and the particular ones which influence us most. We might not notice how each person, with his own particular temperament, has his own propensities and, therefore, his own unique battle to fight in order to train and discipline his passions to conform to his reason.

As we consider the four temperaments, one crucial aspect of our investigation is to understand how the passions are involved in the way people behave. Because we want to better understand how the passion of fear, in particular, affects each temperament, we first consider, more generally, what a passion is. Then, with this foundation, we will be better able to understand the role of the passion of fear in our lives. Thus, in this lesson we will discuss what, in general, a passion is and then look at the two types of passions, namely the concupiscible and the irascible.

What a Passion Is

St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest doctor of the Church, treats the passions thoroughly. He begins by explaining the meaning of the word “passion” itself. St. Thomas explains that a passion is a type of receiving or “suffering”. One way that the word “passion” is used is to receive something that is a perfection of the receiver and this perfection (which is received) does not replace anything that had previously been present in the receiver; the second way passion is used it to receive something better, which is an improvement – replacing something worse than what is received; and the third and most proper way “passion” is used is to receive something worse which is a “downgrade” compared to that better thing which is replaced. Here are St. Thomas’ words:

The word passion is used in three ways:

First, in a general way, according as whatever receives anything is passive, even though nothing is taken from the receiver. Thus, we may say that the air is passive when it [viz., the air] is lit up. But this is to be perfected rather than to be passive.

Secondly, the word passive is employed in its proper sense, when something is received, while something else is taken away: and this happens in two ways.

1. For sometimes that which is lost is unsuitable to the thing: thus, when an animal’s body is healed, the body is said to be passive because it receives health, and loses sickness.
   

2. At other times the contrary occurs: thus, “to ail” is to be passive; because the ailment is received and health is lost. And here we have passion most properly. For a thing is said to be passive from its being drawn to the agent: and when a thing recedes from what is suitable to the receiver, then especially does it appear to be drawn to something else. Moreover, in De Generatione, Bk 1, ch.3 318b2, it is stated when a more excellent thing is generated from a less excellent thing, we have generation simply, and corruption in a particular respect: whereas the reverse is the case, when from a more excellent thing, a less excellent thing is generated. [That is, when a less excellent thing is generated, then this is corruption simply speaking and is generation in a particular respect.]

In these three ways it happens that passions are in the soul. For in the sense of mere reception [viz., the first meaning St. Thomas gives above], we speak of “feeling and understanding as being a kind of passion” (De Anima Bk1, ch.5 410a25). But passion, accompanied by the loss of something, is only in respect of a bodily transmutation [viz., a physical change occurring in the body]; wherefore passion properly so called cannot be in the soul, save accidentally, in so far as the composite¹ is passive. But here again we find a difference; because when this transmutation is for the worse, it [the transmutation] has more of the nature of a passion, than when it [the transmutation] is for the better: hence sorrow is more properly a passion than joy.²

Next, St. Thomas gives us St. John Damascene’s definition of passion.

Passion is a movement of the sensitive appetite when we imagine good or evil; in other words, passion is a movement of the irrational [part of the] soul, when we think of good or evil.”³

Where Do We Find the Passions? Are They in Our Bodies (In Our Sensible Part)? Or in Our Souls (the Will)?

St. Thomas answers these questions in the following words:

[P]assion is properly to be found where there is corporeal transmutation [viz., physical change]. This corporeal transmutation is found in the act of the sensitive appetite [desire], and is not only spiritual, as in the sensitive apprehension [understanding through our senses], but also natural.

Now there is no need for corporeal transmutation in the act of the intellectual appetite [i.e., the will – N.B. “appetite” is another word for “desire”]: because this appetite is not exercised by means of a corporeal organ. It is therefore evident that passion is more properly in the act of the sensitive appetite, than in that of the intellectual appetite; and this is again evident from the definitions of Damascene quoted in the sed contra [above].⁴

Looking at the Two Classes of Passions that We Possess

St. Thomas explains that there are two groups of passions – the concupiscible and the irascible. Here are his words:

The acts of different powers differ in species [that is in kind]; for instance, to see, and to hear. But the irascible and the concupiscible are two powers, into which the sensitive appetite is divided, as was said [earlier in the Summa, in Ia, Q.81, a.2]. Therefore, since the passions are movements of the sensitive appetite, as stated in Q.22, a.3, the passions of the irascible faculty are specifically distinct from those of the concupiscible part.⁵ …

[T]he passions of the irascible part differ in species from those of the concupiscible faculty. For since the different powers have different objects, the passions of different powers must, of necessity, be referred to different objects.

In order, therefore, to discern which passions are in the irascible, and which are in the concupiscible, we must take the object of each of these powers. As was stated above [in Ia, Q.81, a.2], the object of the concupiscible power is sensible good or evil [simply apprehended as such], which causes pleasure or pain. But, since the soul must, of necessity, experience difficulty or struggle at times, in acquiring some such good, or in avoiding some such evil, in so far as such good or evil is more than our animal nature can easily acquire or avoid; therefore, this good or evil itself, inasmuch as it is of an arduous or difficult nature, is the object of the irascible faculty. Therefore, whatever passions consider good or evil absolutely, belong to the concupiscible power; for instance, joy, sorrow, love, hatred, and such like: whereas those passions which consider good or bad, as arduous, through being difficult to obtain or avoid, belong to the irascible faculty; such as daring, fear, hope and the like.⁶

A Short Summary Concerning the Passions and Their Respective Movements

What is good (or perceived as good) causes the soul to incline toward it and this inclination is the passion of love. Similarly, what is evil (or perceived as evil) causes the soul to incline away from it and this disinclination is the passion of hatred.

If the good be not yet possessed, then this good object causes the soul to seek to possess this good. This inclination of the soul is the passion of desire or concupiscence. If the evil can be avoided (or can be avoided in the future, even if it is possessed now) then the soul seeks to avoid it and this is the passion of dislike or aversion.

When the good is obtained, it causes the appetite to rest in that good which has been obtained. This rest in the good which has been obtained is the passion of delight or joy. Similarly, when an evil is present in the soul which is (at least for now) unavoidable, then that possession of the evil is the passion of sorrow or sadness.

Concerning the irascible passions, they pertain to obtaining a good which is difficult to obtain or to avoiding an evil which is difficult to avoid. For the good which is difficult to obtain, the soul’s seeking of this good is hope and the soul’s not seeking it because the difficulty is too great, is despair. With respect to an evil which is difficult to avoid, the soul’s seeking to avoid this evil which is difficult to avoid is daring and the soul’s anticipation of suffering the evil which is difficult to avoid, is fear. There is no irascible passion with respect to the good obtained because it is not a subject of difficulty. But concerning an evil already possessed, the soul’s reaction is anger.

Therefore, we see that there are three pairs of passions in the concupiscible appetites: namely, love and hatred; desire and aversion; joy and sorrow. Likewise, there are three “pairs” in the irascible: namely, hope and despair; fear and daring; and anger, which passion has no opposite. Therefore, there are in all 11 different passions: six which are concupiscible, and five which are irascible; in which all the animal passions are contained.⁷

A Preview… Having now considered the passions more generally, in our next lesson we will begin looking at the passion of fear in particular. In this way, we will be able to see how fear influences all the temperaments and especially how the passion of fear can hinder the intellectual life of a soul.

Catholic Candle note: The article immediately below is part thirteen of the study of the Choleric temperament. The first twelve parts can be found here:

1. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #36: About the Temperaments – Beginning our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Part I: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/08/27/lesson-35-about-the-temperaments-the-choleric-temperament/
   

2. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #37: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament– Part II: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/09/26/lesson-37-about-the-temperaments-continuation-of-the-choleric-temperament/
   

3. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #38 — About the Temperaments – Continuing our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part III:: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/10/24/lesson-38-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat/
   

4. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #39 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – That Temperament’s Spiritual Combat – Part IV: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/11/26/lesson-39-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-iv/
   

5. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #40: Temperaments – Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part V: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/12/30/lesson-40-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-v/
   

6. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #41 – About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament: a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat — Part VI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/01/27/lesson-41-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vi/
   

7. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #42: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part VII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/02/21/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vii/
   

8. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #43 About the Temperaments –Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament — Their Spiritual Combat Part VIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/03/27/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-viii/
   

9. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #44 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat, Part IX: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/04/23/lesson-44-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-ix/
   

10. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #45 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part X: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/05/20/lesson-45-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-x/
    

11. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #46 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Cholerics’ Spiritual Combat – Part XI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/06/28/lesson-46-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xi/
    

12. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #47 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/07/24/lesson-47-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xii/
    

13. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #48 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/08/29/lesson-48-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xiii/

Mary’s School of Sanctity

Lesson #49 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XIV

Note: When referring to a person with a choleric temperament in this article we simply will label him as a choleric.

In our last lesson we discussed how Satan hates the fact that humans are created with intellects and are capable of knowing universal truth. This archenemy of mankind has launched his major attack on man’s highest faculty, namely, his intellect.

We saw how Satan tempts us humans to believe that making efforts to think carefully puts a damper on our enjoyment. We saw how this is a lie and that man’s highest delights come when he engages his mind in the pursuit of truth.

Now we will consider another snare that Satan uses – he inclines people to believe that they do not have the ability necessary for careful thinking. However, in order to understand how it is false to believe that we do not have the ability to think carefully, we must first reflect more about human nature itself.

Satan Preys on Fallen Human Nature

As we stated above, one of the devil’s tricks is to tempt humans into supposing that they do not have the necessary ability to think carefully and deeply. Someone could claim that thinking deeply was easy for Adam but ever since the fall of man, man does not have the ability to think. This is an old deception of Satan.

St. Thomas Aquinas explains the effects of original sin as follows:

Original justice was forfeited through the sin of our first parent [Adam], as already stated above (I-II Q. 81 a. 2); so that all the powers of the soul are left, as it were, destitute of their proper order, whereby they are naturally directed to virtue; which destitution is called a wounding of nature.

Again, there are four of the powers that can be the subject of virtue, as stated above (I-II Q. 61 a. 2), viz. the reason, where prudence resides, the will, where justice is, the irascible [passions], the subject of fortitude, and the concupiscible [passions], the subject of temperance. Therefore, in so far as the reason is deprived of its order to the true, there is the wound of ignorance, in so far as the will is deprived of its order to the good, there is the wound of malice; in so far as the irascible is deprived of its order to the arduous, there is the wound of weakness; and in so far as the concupiscible is deprived of its order to the delectation moderated by reason, there is the wound of concupiscence.

Accordingly, these are the four wounds inflicted on the whole of the human nature as a result of our first parent’s sin. But since the inclination to the good of virtues is diminished in each individual on account of actual sin, as was explained above (in I-II Q. 85 a.1& 2), these four wounds are also the result of other sins, in so far as, through sin, the reason is obscured especially in practical matters, the will hardened to evil, good actions become more difficult, and concupiscence more impetuous.¹

Personal Sins Increase the Effects of These Wounds

In the above text from St. Thomas, he explains that not only the wounds of original sin are evident in man, but also that one’s personal, actual sins increase the effect of these wounds of original sin for him. We can readily guess that Satan and all of his fellow demons know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, so of course, they know exactly what temptations to use on each individual soul.

Natural Inclinations Affect All Humans

Although the wounds of original sin influence all humans, each person is unique in his material dispositions, and from this it is easy to see how each person can be uniquely affected by the wounds of original sin. In other words, each person has his own individual degree of the wounds of original sin. In the vast number of humans that have ever lived, there is a wide spectrum of strengths and weaknesses. For example, some races of people seem to be naturally strong in their mental acuity whereas other races seem to be stronger in their physical prowess.² We can observe that God certainly has created a variety of humans and we must take many things into consideration in our relations with our neighbor. We will discuss this aspect of relationships in more detail at a future time.

Personal Dispositions and the Seven Capital Sins

The demons make ready use of tempting humans to the seven capital sins. Here is what the Concise Catholic Dictionary tells us about these sins:

The so-called “deadly sins” seven in number, called “capital” because they are the source of most other sins: called “deadly” because they easily lead to mortal sins. They need not be separate acts but can exist as habits or vices. The seven capital sins are: pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.³

Just as humans have natural tendencies connected to their material make-up, they have natural weaknesses and strengths. There is not a perfect balance between the strengths and weaknesses. Some may have far more weaknesses than they have strengths. Some may have only weaknesses and, seemingly, no strengths. Furthermore, there are souls who may have more strengths and fewer weaknesses.

The demons know that humans share the wounds of original sin. The demons also know that one capital sin often leads a soul to the other capital sins, and because the demons know the inclinations of souls, including their strengths and weaknesses, they strive to drag the soul into the capital sin to which that soul is most prone.

In addition to this common condition of the wounds of original sin and the particular genetic (i.e., material, bodily) disposition⁴, human nature also includes the passions. In Lesson #39 we reflected how the passions work in order to get a better understanding of the passion of anger. We studied anger and how the choleric is prone to this passion. We also saw how anger is one of the capital sins which the choleric is prone to commit.

A Genetic (Material, Bodily) Disinclination toward the Effort to Think Carefully

Thus, there can be a genetic (material, bodily) disinclination to make the effort to think carefully. A person can be ill-disposed to do the mental work involved in deeper thinking. St. Thomas goes so far as to call the fear of mental work, stupor. He adds, “just as laziness shrinks from the toil of external work, so amazement and stupor shrink from the difficulty of considering a great and unwonted thing, whether good or evil; so that amazement and stupor stand in relation to the act of the intellect, as laziness does to external work.”⁵

So when a person has not previously made habitual efforts to think deeply or carefully, he is not accustomed to the task. In this way, the work involved is unusual to him and viewed by him as “unwonted”.⁶ Such a person “shrink[s] from the difficulty of considering” a “great and unwonted thing”, as St. Thomas explains.

The Attitude that “I don’t have the ability”, Stems from Fear.

Ultimately this kind of attitude is caused by fear. In order to give this topic a thorough treatment and to gain a clearer understanding of how this problem is not exclusively a choleric one, we will need to consider further the passion of fear.

A Preview…

In our next lesson we will begin our study of the passion of fear because this passion affects all the temperaments. We will then be able to see how deep-thinking is really perceived by the choleric.

Catholic Candle note: The article immediately below is part thirteen of the study of the Choleric temperament. The first twelve parts can be found here:

1. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #36: About the Temperaments – Beginning our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Part I: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/08/27/lesson-35-about-the-temperaments-the-choleric-temperament/
   

2. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #37: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament– Part II: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/09/26/lesson-37-about-the-temperaments-continuation-of-the-choleric-temperament/
   

3. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #38 — About the Temperaments – Continuing our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part III:: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/10/24/lesson-38-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat/
   

4. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #39 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – That Temperament’s Spiritual Combat – Part IV: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/11/26/lesson-39-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-iv/
   

5. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #40: Temperaments – Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat – Part V: https://catholiccandle.org/2024/12/30/lesson-40-temperaments-choleric-temperament-their-spiritual-combat-part-v/
   

6. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #41 – About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament: a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat — Part VI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/01/27/lesson-41-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vi/
   

7. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #42: About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – a Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part VII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/02/21/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-vii/
   

8. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #43 About the Temperaments –Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament — Their Spiritual Combat Part VIII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/03/27/lesson-42-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-viii/
   

9. Mary’s School of Sanctity – Lesson #44 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – Their Spiritual Combat, Part IX: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/04/23/lesson-44-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-ix/
   

10. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #45 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part X: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/05/20/lesson-45-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-x/
    

11. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #46 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Cholerics’ Spiritual Combat – Part XI: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/06/28/lesson-46-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xi/
    
    

12. Mary’s School of Sanctity — Lesson #47 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat – Part XII: https://catholiccandle.org/2025/07/24/lesson-47-temperaments-choleric-temperament-a-cholerics-spiritual-combat-part-xii/

    
    

Lesson #48 About the Temperaments – Continuing Our Study of the Choleric Temperament – The Choleric’s Spiritual Combat Part XIII

Note: When referring to a person with a choleric temperament in this article we simply will label him as a choleric.

In our last lesson we discussed how the choleric is easily fooled by the devil and ensnared in various forms of pride including wanting to be considered by others as very knowledgeable and as a great achiever. Hence, he has a tendency to fall into the trap of vainglory. However, these traps of pride are often embraced because the choleric is really trying to cover up the fact that he is a coward when it comes to deep thinking. He is lazy in using his intellectual abilities and therefore is not comfortable using them readily. Because he senses his lack of intellectual acuteness, he gives into the temptation to simply tell himself that it is too difficult to think carefully. This fear of mental work, which St. Thomas calls stupor,¹ paralyzes the choleric into not even wanting to try to reason carefully.

Vicious Circle of Self-Feeding Fear of the Intellectual Life

Naturally, the devil fosters this irrational fear of careful thinking because the devil hates the fact that humans were created to be rational and learn the highest truths.

All through the centuries of human existence the devil has attacked mankind and tried to convince men that they should not think, especially deeply. Not only this, but the devil also wants men to believe that they do not have to think carefully. Furthermore, he tells men that thinking deeply interferes with one’s ability to have “fun” and “pleasure”. Ultimately, the devil wants us humans to believe that we were created to enjoy ourselves and that there is nothing more to do. Certainly the devil doesn’t want us to know the truth that our intellect is our highest faculty and when we use it well, we come to have the greatest delight and pleasure.

And so it is when the choleric has given into the temptation to be intellectually lazy, he thereby has allowed himself to become a shallow thinker and has harmed his own natural (i.e., human) desire to know. When he continues in this vein, he builds his fear of intellectual effort and likewise he weakens his willpower to actually make efforts to ponder and consider truth.

He will soon lose any savor to consider God and the higher truths. This manner of acting brings the choleric into more and more pride, a capital sin and into another dangerous capital sin named sloth, which is displeasure in the things of God.

We can see how the devil uses these masterstrokes against souls when he inspires irrational fears to dissuade a man from the proper use of reason.

How Can a Choleric Fight Against Such Demonic Tactics?

• The choleric must learn to have God as his highest priority in life. The choleric must learn to appreciate having a divine friendship with Almighty God. With these things in his mind, he will not want to offend God.

• The choleric must foster Fear of the Lord. When the choleric learns to appreciate the fact that sin offends the all good God, especially the sin of abusing our highest faculty, he would not want to shirk his duty to think and think well.

• The choleric should pray for God’s assistance – the choleric should do everything in his power to foster a healthy prayer life.

• The choleric should read the lives of the saints, especially a saint with the choleric temperament. This will not only help him get to know himself, but will also encourage him that he can indeed overcome his faults and amend his life. Plus, by applying his mind to the study of the virtues of the saints, he will foster a better development of his mind and a love of study.

• The choleric should practice penances. Fasting is a powerful tool to strengthen one’s reasoning power and one’s will power.²
  

A Preview…

In our next lesson we will address the choleric’s false belief that he doesn’t have the ability to think deeply and how this belief has bad influences on the soul. In addition, we will discuss remedies to counteract this lie of the enemy of our souls.