James 1:1-8
Luke 14:25-33
"Prudence
is love choosing wisely between the things that help and those that hinder." St. Augustine
“Three things are necessary for salvation:
to know what is to be believed, to know what is to be desired, and to know what
is to be done.”
St. Thomas Aquinas
Today we begin what are known as the
“cardinal” virtues, “cardinal” coming from the Latin “cardo” which means
“hinge” (as in the hinge of a door). The
reason prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance are considered “cardinal”
virtues is that all other virtues “hinge” on our understanding of these four
and their place in the sanctified Christian
life. I submit that these four
“cardinal” virtues together define “righteousness” – always pursuing the Good.
“Ethics” at its most basic level is knowing
right from wrong. Prudence, then, is
that virtue which not only knows the
difference but also seeks to know why something
is right and why something is
wrong. Prudence has to go beyond basic
instinct and must never be reduced to a human impulse, especially an impulse
driven by emotion. And though the
Christian is morally bound by the Divine Law which prohibits certain acts
(doing harm) while requiring other acts (doing good), it cannot be said there
is a universal understanding of right and wrong even among Christians.
“St.
Thomas Aquinas ranked prudence as the first cardinal virtue because it is
concerned with the intellect. Aristotle defined prudence as, ‘right reason
applied to practice’. [It cannot be said
to be a virtue until it is put to good use.]
(Catholicism.about.com).
Unlike the “theological” virtues (faith,
hope, and charity), the “cardinal” virtues are not considered Divine Gifts in
themselves but are rather virtues we learn through prayer, Scripture study,
thinking of the good of others, and faithful practice – in other words, we
learn through deliberate effort. We must
learn how to think things through not only because of social implications and possible
consequences, but also because of what Jesus teaches in Luke’s Gospel (14:25-33).
Jesus seems to be saying that when we act
strictly on emotional impulse, more often than not we will be revealed as
impulsive fools regardless of noble intent – because our impulses, though
perhaps honest, are not indicators of right and wrong. Our impulses are not “common sense” as in
common to all or universally understood; they are, more often than not, personal
knee-jerk reactions to a particular situation.
Our impulses do not take “long-term” or even “collateral damage” into
account because our impulses are almost always entirely self-serving.
Though I am aware not everyone will agree,
the decision to host a “Mohammed Cartoon Contest” was not a prudent
decision. Though we have an impulsive
reaction to perceived threats to “freedom of speech” ideals and the situation
turned out as best it could under the circumstances, it could have been a lot
worse and could have involved many more than were in attendance. That situation could have ended badly for a
lot of innocent Garland TX residents and police officers who wanted nothing to
do with the event had the radicals decided to show up in force as they did in
Paris, France. The organizers did not
“count the cost” or take into account the potential for risk to innocent
persons. Or if they did, they did not
care – determined as they were to make a political point.
I dare say Jesus would not have approved
of this event, and ultimately the decisions we make must always – always – bear in mind our baptized status as ambassadors of
the Church and witnesses for Christ.
Deliberately antagonizing someone, anyone, for political purposes – and
putting other innocent persons at risk! – is not a prudent course of action
even if it is our right to do so. As
John Paul II once said, having a right to
do something does not always mean we should.
It is not about running scared from
Islam’s sensibilities or “kowtowing” to threats from radicals. It is about thinking things through from all
angles before a course of action is taken, embracing the responsibilities that
come with “rights”, and understanding our place as disciples of Jesus Christ. We could post hate-filled, anti-Islamic or
anti-gay or anti-abortion messages on our outdoor sign and would be perfectly
within our right to do so, but is that the Divine Image we are called to
project? Or are we willing to put our
own children or our grandchildren at risk of some unstable soul deciding to
retaliate violently?
Like a fellow Marine recently stated,
“It’s all well and good to stand up for what you believe … until you put the lives of others on the line who may not
share your beliefs.”
We are United Methodists. Of the abiding rules of the early Methodist
societies of John Wesley’s day, the first Rule applies to an understanding of
the reach and the depth of prudence, the need
to think things through before we act: “First, do no harm.” Period.
To anyone. For any reason. So we ask ourselves before we do anything
proactive or reactive: will someone – anyone - be harmed, directly or
indirectly, by our proposed course of action?
This means we consider not only what is
right before us, but we must also learn to look beyond the moment to consider
the fallout. Of course we can always
apologize later if our choice blows
up in someone else’s face; but if
direct or indirect harm comes to someone due to our own personal choice because
we acted impulsively or selfishly and didn’t take the time to think it through,
“I’m sorry” may be too little too late.
The second Rule is: “Do good”. This means we not only consider the harm we
may do by acting impulsively, but we must also deliberately consider the “good”
that must always come from what we choose to do as ambassadors and witnesses for
Christ in the Image of The Lord our God.
And if there is no “good” to be found in what we wish to do (and the
Rules are not strictly
self-serving. They serve the good of the
whole Society!), we must consider the
potential for harm to others – going back to the First Rule.
This is an acknowledgement of a certain
biblical and philosophical reality: in the presence of evil, there is no good;
and in the presence of good, there is no evil.
Neither is benign. Good and evil
will always each feed upon themselves and reproduce. The choices we make are part of that
reproductive cycle – for good or evil.
Finally, the third Rule is: “Attend all
the ordinances of God”. Disciples are
compelled by the Spirit to worship, to pray, to fast, to fellowship in mutual
accountability, to receive and participate in the Sacraments of the Church, to
embrace all the means of grace at our disposal.
From these come the understanding of virtue and the need to always
consider the well-being of the whole
rather than only a select few of the
preferred parts. We seek the will of The
Lord through these means of grace with the intent that we learn to think like Christ so we may act
like Christ and build up His Church, His Body.
Only then may we dare hope to share in the divinity of Christ.
Prudence of the Church begins at baptism. This is when we become part of the
Covenant. In our tradition this
Sacrament is celebrated as early as possible because it is not strictly a
personal decision based on an emotional response. Jesus teaches that we always “count the
cost”.
So the decision to baptize or be baptized is
a faithful, thoughtful, deliberate decision, a family decision to present the
child to The Lord through the Covenant, and to ask the community to receive the
child being presented for baptism so we may all share in the responsibility and
joys and blessings of being a part of the child’s spiritual nurture and development.
In the Presence of Almighty God and
others, we make a sacred vow and enter into a sacred covenant with the child,
with the parents, and with one another.
And we do so for this reason: we are seeking Good. Good in the life of the Church has a
beginning, and the prudent choice of baptism is it.
Prudence demands our efforts, our prayers,
our deliberate and disciplined thoughts, and our determination to serve The
Lord and others through His Church, His congregation of the faithful, His
community of disciples. It is not a
decision to be taken lightly. It is a
forthright and deliberate choice that requires much of us – but is always toward
the Good which is, according to Jesus, our Holy Father in Heaven. He alone is Good. Let us always choose His will, His way …
beginning today. Amen.
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