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The first cardinal virtue is -- PRUDENCE.


Prudence is the first of the cardinal virtues because it is the ability to look at a concrete situation and know what ought to be done. It is the ability to make right judgments. Prudence gives us the knowledge of what must be done, when it must be done, and how it must be done. There is often a great misunderstanding about the real nature of prudence, so let's begin by saying what prudence is not. Prudence is not timidity, an avoidance of all danger, cowardice, lack of initiative, self-preservation, never spending any money, or an excessive focus on manners (e.g., the term "prude"). On the contrary, sometimes true prudence could lead one to dive on a grenade, fight courageously, say things which are very awkward or politically incorrect, make a huge investment venture, or be open to having a fifth, maybe even a tenth child.

Prudence is the art of taking moral principles and applying them to concrete situations. Let's take some examples. We all know the maxim: "Love your neighbor as yourself." This is a general moral principle. But even after we learn this principle, the question still remains, "How do I love this neighbor, here and now?" We still have to take the general moral principle and make it concrete in particular situations. To take a second case, the Church teaches that drunkenness is a grave sin, which we should avoid. But how do I avoid drunkenness, here and now? Prudence tells me when I should stop drinking; what beer or glass of wine should be my last. Or what about the principle that sexual activity must be reserved for marriage? Practically speaking, how do I protect my sexuality from misuse? Well, prudence tells me that I probably shouldn't be alone with my girlfriend in her bedroom, as it may lead to serious sin. Prudence therefore demands two aspects:
 
Firstly, knowing the principles, that is, knowing what the goods of human nature are, and that we must work towards them and never against them. Consequently, it is never prudent, regardless of the situation, to act against the moral principles. There is no such thing as a prudent abortion, because it always violates the good of innocent human life. There is no such thing as prudent contraception, because it always goes against the good of human life and against the good of the marital relationship. There is no such thing as prudent pornography, because it goes against the good of human relationships.
 
Secondly, knowing how to apply the principles to the concrete situation. The first part is knowing the goals; the second part is knowing how to choose the means for obtaining the goal. In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: "The prudent man considers things afar off, insofar as they tend to be a help or a hindrance to that which has to be done at the present time. Hence it is clear that those things which prudence considers stand in relation to the end." With prudence, we look at every decision in light of the ultimate goal, that is, goodness and happiness.

Lastly, there are certain times when it is prudent to avoid decision-making. We have to be very careful that our judgments and actions are the result of an honest examination of reality, and in certain situations, it is very difficult for us to keep a proper perspective. It is important that our judgments and actions are not reactions to strong emotions like:
 
Anger. A prudent person will, whenever possible, avoid making a decision while he is angry. He will sleep on it, postpone it or put it aside until he can weigh things calmly and coolly.
 
Lust. Lust can be a very powerful feeling, with the potential to negatively influence our ability to think clearly. In fact, there is nothing like desire to interfere with the proper working of our reason. St. Thomas Aquinas goes so far as to say that imprudence is caused chiefly by lust.2 The prudent person will step back and give himself space and time before allowing himself to be ruled by lust.
 
Discouragement. When we are close to despair, our view on reality will be skewed. We will be overly pessimistic, and so the decisions we make will be based on error. Having suffered a failure, or fallen in sin, or having made a stupid move; all these things discourage us, and so we should avoid decisions at such times.
 
Remember, prudence is about allowing the truth, not feelings, to determine our choices.

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The third cardinal virtue is -- Social Justice

The most basic and fundamental of all human societies is the family. Oftentimes the family as such is disregarded, and moral attention is either restricted to the level of the individual, or is expanded to the level of larger communities. This is a grave mistake, for without the solid foundation of healthy families, both the individual (who is originally formed within the family) and the larger society (which is constituted by a multitude of families) will become disordered and dysfunctional. Consequently, it is crucial to look at what we each owe our families.
 
Firstly, what are the obligations of children in families? A common error is to assume that all children are mere recipients of familial benefits, without duties of their own. On the contrary, children have a debt to their family which must be paid as well as possible. Children owe their parents gratitude, respect, and deference, which should, under normal circumstances express itself through obedience. Children owe their siblings a special affection and loyalty. They especially owe their families time, for only by making time to be present can children contribute to the solidification of family relationships.
 
There is currently a popular misconception about families that presumes children will be estranged from their parents and rude to them, and that they will resent their siblings and only interact with them through quarrelling. Children are expected to take their family members for granted, or treat their families as an embarrassment. This model of the family goes directly against justice, and it is every Catholic's obligation to try and reform this image of the family, beginning with their own.
 
Secondly, what do mothers owe their families? In answer this question it is well to call upon the authority and insight of the late Pope John Paul II, in his treatment on the rights and role of women in society, in his apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio.1 The Holy Father begins by stating that the perfect model for women is to be found in Our Lady. She is the ideal of femininity. He goes on to affirm the right of women to be admitted to public positions and offices.
 
However, he also states that the good of women will never be truly promoted before clear recognition is "given to the value of their maternal and family role, by comparison with all other public roles and all other professions." John Paul explicitly emphasizes the "original and irreplaceable meaning of work in the home and in rearing children. Finally he declares that "the mentality which honors women more for their work outside the home than for their work within the family must be overcome... society should create and develop conditions favoring work in the home."
 
To summarize, the Holy Father is calling attention to the nobility and absolute necessity of those women who dedicate themselves to rearing children and creating a family environment. How different is the Pope's perspective from the usual one which greets "stay at home moms" in today's mentality! Today full-time motherhood is considered tantamount to a failed life. "What does your Mom do?" "Oh, she doesn't do anything. She's just a stay-home mom. She doesn't have a job." Work as a housewife and mother is regarded as insignificant.
 
On the contrary, experience shows that this work is absolutely indispensable to the flourishing of family life and to the civilization as a whole. Stay at home mothers therefore have the most important and most difficult jobs; after all, whether society succeeds or collapses depends on the family, and the mother takes care of the family.
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also sheds light on the important obligations of mothers to their families. It states that the prime educators of children are the parents, and that it's practically impossible to substitute for them. It says that a home must be created where virtue, love, and holiness are going to flourish.2  So who's going to do all this? Who's going to care for the children, educate and form them, and create a proper home for them?
 
This is not to say that mothers must never seek work outside the home. Certainly, there are instances when this choice is inevitable. Nonetheless, ideally the focus of mothers should be on that challenging task of home and family life. We must all do what we can to make society more conducive to and supportive of mothers carrying out their sacred vocation.
 
Thirdly, what do fathers owe their families? Like mothers, fathers must share in the role of forming and educating their children. To quote again from John Paul II: "Where social and cultural conditions so easily encourage a father to be less concerned with his family, or at any rate less involved in the work of education, efforts must be made to restore socially the conviction that the place and task of the father in and for the family is of unique and irreplaceable importance."3
 
In other words, fathers owe it to their families, to their wives and children, to be present to them, and concerned with their personal (not just material!) well-being. This age has often been called an age without fathers, due to the common failure of fathers to assume their responsibilities towards their families. For a father to forsake his family, or become uninvolved in his family, is not only a sin of cowardice; it is a sin of injustice, and one that brings great harm. "As experience teaches, the absence of a father causes psychological and moral imbalance and notable difficulties in family relationships."4
 
Fathers must make time for their families. Certainly, fathers are normally called to work outside the home, but this work is never to be a cause of division or abandoning the family. Rather, career work is to be moderate, and always directed towards the promotion of the family's stability and unity.
 
Finally, what are the obligations of spouses towards each other? Spouses owe each other a debt of committed service and devotion.

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The fifth and final cardinal virtue is -- Temperance


Temperance prevents us from acting on these dangerous urges. It allows us to govern our desires, instead allowing our desires to govern us. For an intemperate person - that is, someone who permits their impulses to run rampant - it is much harder to see the truth, and much harder to do what is right. One's life is run by emotional drives, instead of by prudence, justice, and fortitude. But temperance takes the reigns from the urges and gives it back to the first three virtues. In a way, one could say that temperance allows the other virtues to get their job done.
 
Also, temperance safeguards whatever good it is that we are pursuing. If a person pursues a good in a disordered way, he is sure to end up hating that good. For example, alcohol is a good thing, but nobody hates alcohol more than an alcoholic; he hates it because it's separated him from everything else: his family, his job, his self-respect, etc...

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/virtue/cardinal-virtues/temperance/

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