Prudence helps Catholics make the right decisions, now and in future

Common-sense, reflection, a readiness to consult others, determination, foresight and caution are all aspects of the virtue of patience which enables us to do something very important: discern the right courses of action.

This virtue is so important that it has been highlighted by the pope and several important theologians.

“The prudent person knows how to safeguard the memory of the past, not out of fear for the future, but because he or she knows that tradition is a patrimony of wisdom,” Pope Francis told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square in March this year.

“Life is made up of a constant overlapping of old and new things, and it is not good always to think that the world begins with us, that we have to deal with problems starting from scratch.”

A prudent person deliberates on the means and circumstances required to perform a morally good action. In that deliberation, we must consider the past, the present, and the future and learn as much as we can from history, the lives of the saints, and our own personal experiences.

Theologian and author Father John Hardon, SJ, teaches that prudence is that moral virtue of the mind which enables us to decide what is the right thing to do in a given situation. He notes that the functions of prudence are: deliberation, judgement, and the commanding of the will to put into practical effect decisions which have been made.

“The constituent elements of this virtue must then be fostered,” advises spiritual writer Father Adolphe Tanqueray.

Although our present conditions can be quite different from those of the past, Roman Catholics can apply the wisdom gained from those past experiences to the present.

“Prudent are those who are able to choose. As long as it remains on paper, life is always easy, but in the midst of the wind and waves of daily life it is another matter; often we are uncertain and do not know which way to go,” said Pope Francis. 

“The prudent do not choose at random: first of all, they know what they want, then they weigh the situation, seek advice, and with a broad outlook and inner freedom, they choose upon which path to embark.”

But prudence extends beyond simply applying the lessons leant in the past to the present. This virtue also calls upon Catholics to look towards the future and make the best possible decisions to make it a good one.

“The prudent person is also far-sighted,” said Pope Francis. “Once one has decided on the goal to strive for, it is necessary to obtain all the means to reach it.”

That means looking carefully at our means and circumstances and judging whether they are as good as they should be. 

According to Father Tanqueray, we must strive to rid ourselves of prejudice and passion in making these judgments as these can easily cloud the mind. Whenever possible we should avoid making decisions while we are angry or in distress. We must strive to make judgment in light of eternity and ask ourselves what our decisions will mean in the light of the vastness of eternity.

Hastiness and hesitation should be avoided by the prudent person seeking to make a decision. That person should instead probe into all aspects of the situation and weigh them carefully while demonstrating resoluteness.

Pope Francis has said prudence is “the quality of those who are called to govern: they know that to administer is difficult, that there are many points of view and one must try to harmonize them, that one must do not the good of some but of all.”

A lack of sufficient prudence can lead to actions which can be very harmful.

“Too much zeal in some situations can cause disasters,” said Pope Francis. “It can ruin a construction that would have needed gradualness. It can give rise to conflicts and misunderstandings.

“It can even trigger violence.”

In the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Jesus Christ commands us all to develop prudence by putting aside this Christian virtue’s worldly counterfeit which makes people skilful, not in getting closer to God, but rather in the inordinate seeking of pleasure, wealth, or fame.

“Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come,” notes the Gospel writer in Mark 13:33.

Catholics are called to develop prudence by seeking out first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves,” Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:16. “So be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.”

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明智以永恆的光作判斷

‌根據耶穌會會士John Hardon神父的說法：「明智是一種心靈的倫理德行，使我們能夠在特定情況下決定出正確的行為。」Adolphe Tanqueray神父寫道：「這德行的基本要素必須加以培養，成為我們的常識、反思的習慣、隨時諮詢他人的意願、決斷力、遠見和謹慎。」

根據Hardon神父的說法，明智的作用包括：深思熟慮、判斷，以及指令著意志將所作的決定付諸實行。

一個具明智的人會仔細考量為實行一個道德良善的行為所需的方法和情況。在我們的深思熟慮中，必須考慮過去、現在和未來。

‌關於過去，我們可以從歷史、聖人的生活以及個人的經歷中學到很多。教宗方濟各說：「具明智的人懂得如何保存對過去的記憶，不是因為害怕未來，而是因為他或她明白傳統是一筆智慧的財產。生命是由舊事物與新事物不斷交疊而成的；總是認為世界是由我們開始的，或者我們必須從頭處理問題，這樣的想法是不好的。」

我們應該考慮當下的情況，因為可能與過去大不相同，並且具智慧地將過去的經驗應用於當前的問題。教宗說：「只停留在紙上生活，總是很容易，但在日常生活的風浪中，情況就不一樣了；我們常常感到不確定，不知道該走哪條路。明智的人不會隨意選擇：首先，他們知道自己想要什麼，然後他們權衡形勢，尋求建議，並以廣闊的眼界和內心的自由，選擇要走的道路。」

我們必須展望未來，盡可能預測我們的行為對自己和他人的影響。教宗說：「明智的人也是有遠見的。一旦決定了要追求的目標，就必須以一切方法去達成目標。」

在對達成目標的方法和情況進行深思熟慮後，我們必須衡量是否如預期般良好。根據Tanqueray神父的說法，在做出判斷時，我們必須努力擺脫偏見和激情，這些情緒容易使心智模糊。無論何時，我們應避免在憤怒或痛苦時做出決定。我們必須努力以達致永恆的角度來做出判斷，問自己：「這對達致永恆有什麼意義？」我們應該避免過份匆忙和猶豫不決。應避免輕率和表面化的判斷，而是深入探討原因並仔細權衡。然而，也應避免過度猶豫，而應果斷地做出決定。

教宗方濟各說，明智是「那些被召喚去作管理者所具備的品質：他們知道管理是困難的，存在許多不同的觀點，必須努力使這些觀點協調一致，不應只做某些人的利益，而是為所有人的利益服務。」

教宗補充道：「明智也教導我們，正如大多數人所說：『追求完美是行善的敵人』。確實，在某些情況下，過度的熱忱可能會導致災難：可能會破壞本應該逐步建設的事物；可能會引發衝突和誤解；甚至可能觸發暴力。」

基督教明智的偽裝是「肉身的明智」，是使人擅長於發現達成惡劣目的的手段，例如過度追求享樂、財富或名聲。

基督教明智的準則可以在以下與世俗準則相對立的福音格言中找到：「你們要當心，要醒寤。」（谷 13:33）；「你們先該尋求天主的國和它的義德，這一切自會加給你們。」（瑪6:33）；「所以你們要機警如同蛇，純樸如同鴿子。」（瑪10:16）。

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