Piety as a Gift

We have seen that the virtue of piety disposesa person to venerate those who have excellence and who bestowbenefit on him. Piety thus venerates God, parents, kinsfolk, andcountry. Now we speak of the supernatural piety which is a gift ofthe Holy Ghost. By this gift a person exercises the supernaturalvirtue of filial piety towards God, and worships him as theall-perfect and all-loving Father.

Because meekness removes from the soul theobstacles which obstruct the exercise of piety towards God as our Father, it is said that the gift of piety finds a specialcorrespondence in the second beatitude: “Blessed are the meek,for they shall possess the earth” (Matt. 5:4).