Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky: An Elusive and Essential Virtue

By Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky, The Catholic Thing, August 17, 2020

Father Jerry J. Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington. He is pastor of St. Catherine of Siena parish in Great Falls, Virginia.

Tales of heroism intrigue us. The story of Jeremiah Denton – an American Navy Airman and later U.S. Senator, shot down over North Vietnam and held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton – is a gripping account of courage. In a propaganda video, his captors forced him to say the Communists were treating him humanely. Taking advantage of the bright lights to disguise his efforts, he used his eyes to blink the word “TORTURE” in Morse Code. He knew the Communists would later catch up with him, and he would suffer the consequences. They did, and he did. But what a magnificent example of doing the right thing, whatever the consequences.

Courage does not mean fearlessness. Nor is it courageous to do reckless things. The true virtue of courage is guided by reason; it moderates and directs our fears and reckless urges. There is a time to dig trenches, and there is a time for frontal assaults. Fortitude is a virtue that harnesses both impulses in the right place and time. …

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