Is Prudence Outdated?

IS PRUDENCE OUTDATED?

It is the virtue which enables a person to find the most suitable means with which to attain a desired moral good. "Happy the man whose treasure-trove is prudence, who is rich in discernment; silver and finest gold are less profitable in the handling" (Prov 3; 14-15).

False faces of Prudence:

пЃÑ" suspicion,

пЃÑ" mediocrity,

пЃÑ" astuteness,

пЃÑ" certain ability to achieve particular goals.

True Prudence: reasoning in an honest way (supernaturally if done in the state of grace) in order to find in each instance the best way of serving God and souls. Supernatural prudence is a virtue we need to develop, find in each instance the best way of serving God and souls. Those who follow the leading of God’s spirit, these are the children of God. Like our Father, docility and generosity in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Spirit of service and spirit of mortification! John (Man 29 Dec) Have we attained knowledge of him? The test is whether we keep His commandments.

Natural prudence brings only death, whereas the prudence of the spirit brings life and peace (Rom 8:6).

Prudence is the habit of considering the right or wrong of the things we do; to be mature and reflective. How to live 'sciente se fili Dei esse': So essential.

In order to be prudent

1) have faith

2) knowledge of morals (CCC & its compendium)

3) know the facts, the persons, and the specific circumstances of the case,

4) to draw from them a lesson for the future.

The last two are achieved by considering one's own experience and by asking for advice from those who can give it.

Seeking advice.

We should look for the advice that enriches us and makes us more responsible in our behaviour; the advice that leads us towards the truth, and so to true freedom. A piece of advice has the advantage of being personal and sympathetic and it should be asked of the right person.

There are many areas in which advice is needed, some more important than others. It is not the same to ask for medical advice from a doctor, as for advice on the career to follow or the person to marry. A young person, for example, may want to learn about sex from ignorant companions, or even worse from the professional corruptors - indecent books or movies - which make money out of it, instead of learning it from a mature man who has brought up a family rooted in faithfulness and love, or from a priest. Instead of asking the professional advice of a man of proven prestige, he may go to someone who is not well prepared.

Young people should also look to their parents' advice, trying to overcome the "communication gap". Although one's father may look like a man of few words, when he has the chance to have an intimate chat he can guide us well. Even one's mother may open up for us treasures of love and powerful intuitions about many things.

Asking for advice develops two very important virtues:

пЃÑ" humility, or the acknowledgment of one's limitations

пЃÑ" docility, or the ability to be taught.

And it protects us from two dangers

пЃÑ" accepting everything we are told at face value

пЃÑ" the tendency to sole self- guidance.

Seeking advice is simply to ask for a second opinion, and it does not necessarily mean that we should follow it. Advice is especially important in doctrinal matters and matters of conscience.

At a second stage prudence calls upon us to relate these pieces of information with one another in order to discern - in the light of faith and moral principles, and with the help of grace -what is really important about the specific decision we need to make. It means to make a judgment, and this is the hard part of it since that judgment makes us responsible. If, for example, we judge that "I should not look at it", and in spite of that we still do so, we do something unethical and betray our conscience. If we judge that we should study or work, we command ourselves to do it. That is why prudence is a practical virtue.

Only at a third stage is prudence fully exercised: when, having chosen the most appropriate means to achieve the end, one puts this advice and these judgments into practice.

A person who has to govern others - a manager, a politician or a father or mother of a family - needs to be doubly prudent. He should be politically prudent, and this demands a deep knowledge of many facts of human nature and of people. Prudence is so important in moral life that it has been called the chariot driver of all the virtues, because it directs and rules all of them. For this reason it is an indispensable habit in building a solid Christian life.

What It Means to Be Adopted

Teacher Debbie Moon's first-graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had different color hair than the other family members.

One child suggested