Prudence and the Virtues

“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.”(1) Like a charioteer, prudence directs the other moral virtues. It provides the means and measure. So, let us begin with fortitude. “The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause.”(2) Prudence tells one to avoid the extremes of temerity (excessive fear) and rashness (excessive boldness). Prudence also tells a person when a cause is just and important enough to decide to conquer fear, face persecutions, and even to sacrifice one’s life. For example, in the life of St. Thomas More, prudence told St. Thomas that remaining Chancellor of the Realm [of England] was not sufficient cause to risk his life, so he resigned. Prudence did tell him that—when there was no other way to defend the cause—defense of the infallibility/primacy of the Pope and of the sanctity of marriage(3) were just causes worthy of the sacrifice of his life.

“Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor. Justice toward God is called the ‘virtue of religion.’”(4) Justice is located in the will. Prudence sets the mean for justice. For instance, prudence says that attendance at Holy Mass on Sundays and daily prayers suffice for the fulfillment of the virtue of religion. Prudence also says that for one who is married to spend all day in Church praying his or her favorite novenas is wrong; it is neither prudent nor just, because the wife has to make time to care for her children, and the husband has his part to do also as head of the family. Children need their Mom and Dad to be with them and for them. Parents are not monks. Justice demands that they fulfill their vocation as parents.

“Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. … The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good …”(5) Prudence directs temperance by setting the mean and measure, by saying how much is appropriate. For example, prudence tells a person when to stop drinking [alcoholic beverages] and when it is not appropriate to drink at all. Prudence informs temperance so that a person’s emotions can be integrated under the guidance of right reason. For instance, it is healthy to have an emotion of beauty when seeing or hearing a person of the complementary gender. Prudence helps keep this emotion under the control of right reason as it help’s one to avoid two extremes: 1) impure thoughts, desires, or actions, and 2) a puritanical attitude: “Sexuality is evil. Human emotions are evil.” In fact, it is no sin to have these unsolicited emotions; however, it is a failure in temperance and in prudence—and it is a sin—to deliberately seek out and/or cultivate impure thoughts and desires. One would do well to recall the personalistic norm of Vatican II, which is found in the document Gaudium et Spes: “No person may be an object of use, but only a subject of love.” Finally, as St. Thomas Aquinas taught, the holy man, the man of integrity, is able to laugh when it is appropriate and be serious when that’s appropriate. St. Thomas even says that it is objectively sinful to lack a sense of humor.

Grace and virtue are indispensable in living the Christian life. Furthermore, charity is the greatest of all the virtues.(6) In fact, charity is the form of all the virtues, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains:

The practice of all the virtues is animated an inspired by charity, which … is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.(7)

In that case, it seems reasonable to say that supernatural charity upholds and purifies all the natural moral virtues, raising them to the level of the infused moral virtues. Thus, it is above all by the supernatural virtue of charity that one is able to achieve the perfection of the sons of God.

The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son … (8)

Footnotes:
1. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1806.
2. Ibid. #1808.
3. Divorce is against the natural law.
4. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1807.
5. Ibid. #1809.
6. Cf. I Corinthians 13:13
7. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1827.
8. Ibid. #1828.

These Live in the Human Heart

In Veritatis Splendor, Pope John Paul II, quoting St. Paul, discusses how the Gentiles, even though they do not have explicit Divine Revelation or the Law as did the Israelites, often manage to follow the Ten Commandments nonetheless, because they have the benefit of the natural moral law. “When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they … show that what the law requires is written on their hearts …”(1)
Footnote:
1. Romans 2:14-15;cited in Veritatis Splendor, #57.

Grace Perfects Nature

God’s graces are wonderful and effective; they are like a farmer sowing seed in the soil, while the natural moral virtues are like the soil, and the supernatural virtues are like plants. If the soil is moist and rich, then many beautiful plants will grow. If the soil is poor and dry, then thirsty little plants will grow. If the soil is abysmal, then probably nothing will grow. Therefore, children should work on—and parents should help their children work on—the development of the natural moral virtues. If the soil of the person’s character is rich in natural moral virtues, then the seed will grow into a beautiful tall plant of supernatural virtue. Supernatural graces and supernatural virtues are what we need to attain our supernatural goal, which is a loving union with the most adorable Trinity in Heaven.
It is true that God can give extra-special graces and can even circumvent nature—He is the Author of nature. At very needful and special times throughout history, God has done this is a very special way. This special action of God is what we call a miracle. Yet God—it seems—much prefers to work with human nature rather than around it. Indeed, God has ordained that grace build upon nature and not circumvent (go around) it. Indeed, that is the ordinary way, which—in our computer age—we might call “the default mode.”
Given the weakness of fallen human nature and consequent difficulty in the development of the natural moral virtues, one could understandably feel compelled to ask, “Why, then, doesn’t God just do a miracle and make it easy for us to be good?” Here is one answer:

God prefers to act by providence rather than miracles because He loves the natures of all the things He created and wants to perfect them rather than bypass them. He is like a wise, unselfish king Who exalts and empowers His servants rather than distrusting them and micro-managing His kingdom.(1)

After all, how many people do you know that would actually enjoy being a robot? Human beings tend to revolt at the idea of always having no choice but to act a certain way because someone has programmed them to do so. Actually, free choice of the will is part of human nature as created by God. It is much more beautiful and noble to choose to love and honor your Father than to be forced or programmed to do so.

Footnote
1. Peter J. Kreeft, The Philosophy of Tolkien, page 54.

The Charioteer of the Virtues

Yesterday, we stated that the Romans were prudent; however, they were also courageous, temperate, and just. They must have been temperate, because all good soldiers and statesmen always are. They must have been just since they fought for the ius (a natural moral right based on the fact of having existence from the Creator) of infants to live and grow to maturity. Thus they had all the moral virtues. That’s how it works. If a person has prudence, then he has the rest of the virtues as well. Prudence is primarily in the practical intellect where it helps one to choose the right means to an end, for instance, the right means to the end of practicing the other moral virtues. Ultimately, it helps one to choose the means to the final end for which he has been created: union with God in eternal life. Prudence guides and directs the other virtues “by setting rule and measure.”(1) Rightly does the Catechism of the Catholic Church call prudence “auriga virtutem (the charioteer of the virtues).”(2)
Each individual man can also be prudent. There is no such thing as a born saint. Holiness requires human effort in addition to the grace of God. Developing the natural moral virtues is work! As with Cicero and the other men of the Roman Republic, the natural moral virtues are the fruit of a man’s upbringing, education, and repeated good acts. It does take learning and effort to attain the natural moral virtues; however, once a man has acquired them, then he does good acts with ease, with hardly any deliberation or effort. These virtues are truly “natural.”
Footnotes:
1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1806.
2. Ibid.

Divine Providence and the Roman Republic's Practice of Natural Virtue

Happily, the series on virtue and Divine Providence continues. This series is taken from a paper I once wrote. Why do I put the coming selections on this natural law blog? I think it's because I love the writings of G.K. Chesterton and Pope John Paul II. Their writings are part of this series, which you will soon see as we continue ...
In Catholic thought, there is a well-known axiom: “Grace builds upon nature.” This is no trite saying or pious platitude. Indeed, the reality denoted by this axiom is crucial to the life of grace and virtue in man. It is very interesting to observe that we see this truth not only in the lives of individual men, but also in the lives of nations—in the history of mankind. For, on account of their natural moral virtues, the Roman Republic opposed, fought, and eventually defeated the child-sacrificing empire of Carthage in the Punic Wars. In God’s Providence (God’s Loving Plan for mankind), this prudent action paved the way for the most grace-filled event in history: the Incarnation of the Son of God with the consequent Redemption of mankind from the evil tyranny of slavery to the Evil One. For the Roman world was much better disposed for the spread of the Gospel than a Carthaginian world-empire would have been.
These Romans had the natural moral virtue of prudence; they were prudent. For prudence is about choosing the right means to a good end, and ultimately about man choosing the means that will get him to the end for which he was made. Certainly, the God of love did not plan for human beings, His children, to form a worldwide civilization of child sacrifice. The Roman Republic chose the means to bring mankind one step closer to the Civilization of Love and the Culture of Life, whether they knew it in those terms or not. As for the preparation for the Incarnation, God certainly knew what He was doing. Ancient Rome and ancient Israel both had their respective roles in God’s plan.

Note: to see pictures, click on the link: theselive.blogspot.com