Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Prudence is the first of the cardinal virtues in the Catholic Church. Merriam-Webster offers a few definitions for prudence: the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason; sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs; skill and good judgment in the use of resources; caution or circumspection as to danger or risk. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prudence “is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it” (1806).
In today’s Gospel, the dishonest steward is “commended for acting prudently” (Lk 16:8). Christ calls on us to be good, prudent, and honest stewards to one another. Yet, prudence in politics and world matters will not make you a saint. We are overwhelmed with choices in our world. Do an Amazon search for pretty much anything and you get hundreds of results. The grocery store has 15 different kinds of cheese and 20 types of body wash. It feels like the new iPhone comes out just as people are learning how to use the most recent one, AND you can get it free from so many carriers! (wow! What a deal!) Most importantly, American culture holds to the highest value, the ability to make our own choices. However, what we choose matters. Again, prudence guides us to make choices that are right, just, and true, to “stand firm in the Lord…who brings all things to himself” (Phil 3:21-4:1). How might we champion Christ’s love and truth, drawing attention to the Incarnation of Jesus?
Today, let us consider how we might grow in prudence. Does prudence come naturally to you? Do you consider yourself a prudent person? Are there particular things that you are more prudent about than others? May our good and loving God guide us to reap the benefits of his teaching and his examples, to form a prudent disposition in all things and to choose what is just, right, true, and abounding in love. We are ordinary people; God calls us to be ‘extra-ordinary. May we recognize that we are extraordinary; we are loved; we are called to be holy; we are the body, the hands, the feet of Christ. Let us be prudent stewards of our gifts and talents and “go [forth] rejoicing to the house of the Lord” (PS 122:1)
Peace,
Brandon Meyer