Why ‘Pietas’ Is the Forgotten Virtue We Need to Remember on Memorial Day| National Catholic Register

COMMENTARY: The Latin term means doing what is needed, regardless of discomfort, tiredness, ingratitude or fear — and giving everything we have for the good of all.

On this Memorial Day, we pause as a nation and remember those who have died in defense of our freedoms. As we honor our fallen heroes, we can best revere their memory by extolling the virtues they exemplified. 

Some years ago, I was visiting Arlington National Cemetery and came across a large headstone that had the simple inscription “Pietas.” There were no names or dates or accolades on the stone, as if to say this one word said it all.

When the Latin word pietas is translated into English, we have the word “piety.” Regrettably, piety has an effeminate connotation in some corners and in general the English word doesn’t hold the gravitas of the Latin term. We certainly lose something in translation. 

With that linguistic clarification in mind, we can use the Latin term. And so, what is pietas? Why would that single word be placed on a headstone in a military cemetery and thought somehow to be sufficient? 

The Roman philosopher Cicero said it best when he described pietas in his writings. 

Translated as devotion or duty, the word symbolized one of the principal virtues praised by the ancient republic.

It was based on the goddess Pietas in their mythology, who was beloved and believed to be the divine presence that allowed people to know their place in life and to recognize the source of their blessings. It was Pietas that called citizens to revere their families, protect their republic, and worship their gods.

These were pressing duties since no citizen could ever properly reciprocate what he had received. And so, since he could never pay back what he had been given, he was called to pay it forward. 

The virtuous person, therefore, was summoned to receive, cherish and promote what was bestowed as a free gift and inheritance. As such, he sought to honor the debt by a selfless pietas, the fulfillment of his duties.

Pietas, therefore, is a devotion within our hearts that compels us to fulfill our duties. Pietas means doing what is needed, regardless of discomfort, tiredness, ingratitude or fear. Pietas means giving everything we have for the good of all.

Within the Christian tradition, pietas is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. As such, it dwells within the life of every believer. While pietas has been respected by all people of goodwill through the ages, it shines and is most exemplified in the Christian way of life since a pietas to the death of oneself is an intimate share in the very passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Jesus fulfilled his saving mission. He held nothing back, as St. John tells us in his Gospel:

“Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1).

Pietas is virile, mission-focused and uncompromising. 

Pietas is found in parents who are attentive to the well-being and formation of their children. Pietas is displayed in the firefighter who runs into the burning building that everyone else is running from. Pietas is shown in the teacher who gives extra time to teach students who are struggling. Pietas is found in the soldiers, sailors and other servicemembers who give long days and endure difficult separations from their families — and who may ultimately lay down their lives for their homeland.

This is the strength of pietas. It is exemplified in the Christian way of life. It’s the reason why it must be a gift of the Holy Spirit, since we need the power of the Holy Spirit to work within us so we can die to ourselves and our fears and live more fully in Jesus Christ through pietas and the other Christian virtues.

Our moral tradition places pietas within the virtue of charity. It is love that compels us, pushes us, and demands from us that we do our duty and play the part given to us by divine Providence.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community (2239).

Contrary to self-centeredness and avarice, pietas digs deep, selflessly serves, and gives what is needed.

Pietas picks up the mantle of previous generations, seeks to defend what is right and good, honors God with an open and trusting heart, and completes the assigned mission.

For these reasons and others, it is a noble thing to simply have the single word pietas placed on a headstone. It truly does say it all: I did my duty. I fulfilled what was expected. I played my part. I gave my all.

In a similar way, it is pietas to honor those who have given their all. It is pietas for a nation to pause and offer prayers and worship in memory of our fallen heroes. 

As the sacred Scriptures teach us:

“On the next day, as had now become necessary, Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with their kindred in the sepulchers of their ancestors… and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection (2 Maccabees 12:39; 42-43).

We, too, have a debt we cannot pay. We also have a duty that is calling for fulfillment. We, too, are summoned to a life of charity through pietas. And on this Memorial Day, we are especially reminded that a portion of our duty is to honor the dead, revere the fallen, and do our part to serve the common good.