Letters From a Young Catholic

My reflections as a Catholic young adult passionate about the Faith, seeking to grow in knowledge and understanding of God and discerning the will of the Lord in my life.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

False Prudence

"Prudence would not be true prudence if, having given due consideration to the facts, it chose the cowardly way of not making a decision that involved risk, or caused us to avoid facing up squarely to a problem. The attitude of the person who allows himself to be led by human respect in the apostolate and lets opportunities slip, while he waits for other opportunities that may never arise, is not a prudent attitude. Saint Paul calls this false virtue prudence of the flesh. It is a false virtue that asks for more reasons and considerations before giving God what He asks of us personally. It is what causes us to worry excessively about the future, and gives us a reason for not being generous here and now. It is what always makes us find some excuse for not deciding to commit ourselves fully."
(Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol. 4.)