Continuing with his cycle of catechesis on the virtues, Pope Francis reflected at the General Audience this Wednesday, March 20, on prudence.
Below is the complete catechesis of Pope Francis:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
Today’s catechism is dedicated to the virtue of prudence. It, together with justice, fortitude and temperance, forms the so-called cardinal virtues, which are not the exclusive prerogative of Christians but belong to the heritage of ancient wisdom, specifically that of the Greek philosophers. For this reason, one of the most interesting themes in the work of encounter and inculturation was precisely that of virtues.
In medieval writings, the presentation of the virtues is not a simple enumeration of the positive qualities of the soul. Returning to the classical authors in the light of Christian revelation, theologians imagined the septenary of virtues – the three theological and the four cardinal – as a kind of living organism in which each virtue occupies a harmonious space. There are essential virtues and accessory virtues, such as pillars, columns and capitals. Perhaps nothing like the architecture of a medieval cathedral can give the idea of the harmony that exists in human beings and their continuous tension towards good.
So let’s start with caution. It is not the virtue of the fearful person, always hesitant before the action he must take. No, this is a misinterpretation. It is not just caution either. Granting primacy to prudence means that the actions of human beings are in the hands of their intelligence and their freedom. The prudent person is creative: he reasons, evaluates, and tries to understand the complexity of reality. And he does not let himself be carried away by emotions, laziness, pressures, or illusions.
In a world dominated by appearances, superficial thoughts, by the banality of both good and evil, the ancient lesson of prudence deserves to be recovered. Saint Thomas, in the wake of Aristotle, called it “ recta ratio agibilium .” It is the ability to govern actions to direct them towards good; That is why he receives the nickname “conductor of virtues.”
Prudent is he who knows how to choose: as long as he remains in the books, life is always easy, but amid the winds and waves of everyday life, things change: we often feel insecure and do not know where to go. He who is prudent does not choose at random: first of all, he knows what he wants; Then, he weighs the situations, allows himself to be advised and, with broad vision and inner freedom, chooses which path to take.
It’s not that he can’t make mistakes, he’s still human after all, but he will avoid big “lumps”. Unfortunately, in all environments, some tend to settle problems with superficial jokes or to always stir up controversy. Prudence, on the other hand, is the quality of those who are called to govern: they know that administration is difficult, that there are many points of view and that it is necessary to try to harmonize them, and that the good should not be done for some, but for all. Prudence also teaches that, as they say, “The perfect is the enemy of the good.”
Too much zeal, in fact, in some situations, can cause disasters: it can ruin a construction that would have required gradualness; can generate conflicts and misunderstandings; It can even unleash violence.
The prudent person knows how to guard the memory of the past, not because he is afraid of the future, but because he knows that tradition is a heritage of wisdom. Life is made of a continuous superimposition of old things and new things, and it is not good to always think that the world begins with us, and that we have to face problems from scratch. The prudent person is also farsighted. Once the objective to fight for has been decided, all means must be found to achieve it.
Many passages from the Gospel help us educate prudence. For example: He who builds his house on the rock is wise, and he who builds it on the sand is imprudent. (cf. Mt 7,24-27). Wise are the virgins who carry oil for their lamps, and foolish are those who do not (cf. Mt 25:1-13). The Christian life is a combination of simplicity and cunning. In preparing his disciples for the mission, Jesus advises them: “I send you like sheep among wolves; then be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ( Mt 10,16). It is as if he were saying that God not only wants us to be saints but that he wants us to be intelligent saints because without prudence, taking the wrong path is a matter of a moment!