Loyalty

Loyalty or fidelity is the habit of fulfilling the commitments made. It is a desirable virtue, because nobody wants the condition of being a traitor or disloyal.

In both cases commitments are fulfilled, but there is a difference: the loyal person carries out what was agreed because they wish to keep the word given. On the other hand, the responsible person fulfills their duties because they are duties, because they assume their obligations. Both qualities support each other.

Loyalty forms part of justice, in the sense that fulfilling the commitments made is a duty contracted with someone.

Rather, they reinforce each other. Constancy helps to keep the word given when its fulfillment takes time. Loyalty helps to be constant in effort, out of loyalty to what was promised.

There are various fields in which to practice loyalty, which will appear in the following sections. Let us see some examples now:

• Attending agreed meetings.
• Avoiding speaking ill of others.
• Fulfilling one's resolutions.

Fidelity admits various nuances depending on whether it is loyalty with God, with others, or with oneself. And in each of these cases there are interesting aspects depending on whether the commitment is explicit or implied. It is not a complicated subject, but let us consider these situations slowly.

This is the most visible loyalty. It is a matter of fulfilling the commitments expressly made with others. And it is equivalent to keeping the word given, whether in writing or verbally. It applies to small things such as presenting oneself at the agreed time, and to matters of greater gravity such as fulfilling a professional contract, or being faithful in marriage.

It consists in fulfilling the commitments made in marriage. For example, contrary to this loyalty would be frivolous dealings with another partner, and neglecting the spouse or the children. Also contrary to marital loyalty would be constant recriminations or quarrels. While loyalty is strengthened by behaviors that improve family harmony.

- b) Implied or implicit loyalty.

In this case, loyalty with others is exercised by fulfilling the commitments that by themselves go together with a situation or a fact, although nothing was previously said about them. For example, friendship includes the desire to seek the friend's good even if it is not expressly said. For this reason, the harm caused by a friend hurts more, since to the usual suffering is added the disloyalty.

There are many implied loyalties. For example:

• In a company it is assumed that everyone seeks the good of the firm. And if a manager or employee were to harm the business or favor the competition, they would be considered disloyal, even though there have been no prior verbal commitments.
• This implied loyalty is an important quality that covers many areas of life and there are abundant examples: if a Catholic were to speak against the Church, they would be being disloyal; if a player were to voluntarily contribute to their team losing, they would be called a traitor, since it is understood that members of a team owe loyalty to their colors.

It is loyalty to one's own convictions, an inner fidelity usually called coherence, and it is equivalent to keeping the word given to oneself, firmly upholding one's own ideals. Accepting misunderstanding, persecution, before allowing breaks between what one lives and what one believes: this is coherence. Here is found perhaps the most intimate core of fidelity.

If one is an intense fan of a team, it would be incoherent to buy a scarf of the rival team.

In matters of faith, coherence is lacking when one does not live in accordance with what one believes, and it is also incoherent the attitude of one who sometimes behaves as a Catholic, and other times forgets their condition. Loyalty to oneself invites one to maintain good ideals in every circumstance and every environment, being full-time Christians, who strive to live always in accordance with the demands of their faith, even in business, or in summer, etc.

The failure to practice faith and intermittent attitudes may end in collapses, if the environment becomes adverse.

- b) Implied or implicit loyalty.

Sometimes one's own ideals are known with clarity, and this is the usual sense of coherence. But there is also an implicit coherence with respect to oneself when one's own principles are assumed. For example, whoever takes drugs causes harm to themselves and is not coherent with the basic idea of avoiding harm to oneself.

It is a matter here of keeping the word given to God. In small things such as carrying out a simple resolution. Or in matters of greater importance such as faith or vocation. In the latter case, one has committed to dedicating their life to divine service and is loyal when they keep their word.

- b) Implied or implicit loyalty.

This loyalty with God covers the duties we have toward Him by virtue of being men or Christians, even though there has been no prior verbal commitment. For example, we must fulfill the commandments, receive the sacraments, do apostolate, etc. Our Lord has granted us the human and Christian dignity, which demand appropriate conduct.

This is not a nuisance but a consequence that accompanies a great gift. Like one who receives great riches as an inheritance, acquiring the responsibility of administering them well. For example, one acknowledges the great gift of divine filiation and affirms: I want to live as a child of God; I want to be loyal to my Father.

These are usually difficult cases to resolve, where one will have to give priority to the most important loyalty.

If one commits to doing something evil, the right thing is not to do it. In this case three loyalties are at stake: fidelity to the word given to someone, the implicit coherence with oneself that includes the rule of doing good and avoiding evil, and finally the implicit loyalty with God who commands fulfillment of the commandments. It is clear that fidelity to God is above human commitments, and that evil action must be avoided.

- On 26.I.79, John Paul II said some words about loyalty worth remembering: "All fidelity must pass through the most demanding test: that of duration (...) It is easy to be coherent for a day or a few days. Difficult and important is to be coherent all one's life. It is easy to be coherent in the hour of exaltation, difficult to be so in the hour of tribulation. And only can be called fidelity a coherence that lasts throughout all of life".