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April 22, 2022More and more as I watch the news, hear confessions, examine my own conscience, and overhear conversations in public (not on purpose of course) I’ve become increasingly aware of our societies lack of virtue. We’re way too quick at correcting someone in a less-than-charitable way about anything that offends us. We’re also offended too easily in my opinion. I think it would help all of us, myself included, to look at the Cardinal Virtues and ask ourselves the hard questions that should help us grow in virtue.
We will start with the virtue of Prudence.
A good friend of mine, who isn’t even Catholic, gave me the best rules to follow that are extremely prudent. These rules are meant to answer the question, “should I say this thing that I want to say?” Before opening your mouth and saying whatever it is you feel the need and/or desire to say, ask the following three questions and keep your mouth shut until you answer yes to all three:
- Does this NEED to be said?
- Does this need to be said by ME?
- Does this need to be said by me right NOW?
These are very prudential questions. Prudence is a courageously cautious way of living one’s life. Prudence doesn’t mean you live under a rock or run from doing the right thing; rather, prudence should make us stop, pause, and think about what we want to say and/or do. My favorite foods are pizza, beefs, and hot dogs. I could eat those every day of my life, from the right places of course, and be completely happy. Would that be prudent? No. I would die young of heart failure.
How do we grow in the virtue of prudence? This will be the same answer for all the virtues: practice. Start with those three rules above. You can even change them a bit for actions. Before deciding to do something, like watch television, ask yourself:
- Is this something GOOD? (Obviously if it’s sinful, then there’s no need to think about it at all. Just don’t do it)
- Is this something I NEED to do?
- Is this something that needs to be done right NOW?
This model of questioning is a great way to practice prudence, and there’s no better time to start than TODAY!
The next virtue is Justice.
Justice calls for the rights of all people to be respected, defended, and provided. Justice seeks the good of all people within the boundaries of natural law. Natural Law (also called divine law) comes from outside ourselves. It’s the law written on the heart of every person that doesn’t necessarily need to be written down on paper or stone because we all intrinsically know it to be true. It’s the law that made the first humans either retreat or restrain the first human who killed another human. Everyone knew murder is wrong, which is why they would be fearful of the one who murdered and follow them in fearful servitude; or they would try to restrain and punish them for their obvious crime against humanity.
Everyone knows theft, rape, murder, lying, etc. are unjust acts by simply being human. These are actions we know deep in our hearts are crimes against humanity and committing any of these acts against natural/divine law is unjust. Therefore, we start with the boundaries of natural law to talk about the virtue of Justice. Let’s go back to murder, which we all know is wrong and a crime against the natural law (the only exception is self-defense, in which taking a life is always a last case scenario). Example: someone comes into your office and threatens to blow the whole place up unless the boss comes out from hiding to be shot. The criminal only wants to kill the boss but is willing to kill everyone, including themself, if they can’t kill the boss alone. Can you, a fellow employee who knows where the boss is hiding, give up the boss to save everyone? The question is, can you kill 1 to save 1,000? Natural Law and our own Catholic teachings say no. We cannot kill 1 to save 1,000. It is unjust and unloving.
So, what is Justice? Using the boundaries of Natural Law, Justice is the virtue that helps us make sure the rights of all people are respected, defended, and provided. Some philosophers define justice as “doing the right thing.” No one should receive less rights than others for any reason whatsoever. Now I’ll grant you this is easier said than done, but I would argue most problems with Justice do not stem from the virtue itself, rather they come from the argument of what are the “rights” we are respecting, defending, and promoting. Do humans have a right to be married? Do humans have a right to change the order of nature? Do humans have a right to play God and decide when life begins and ends (including their own)? These are very different questions than how to live the virtue of Justice. I’m more than aware of what our current State and Federal Laws say our “rights” are as American’s, but it’s always good to think about where the government is overstepping and ask prudently what to do next?
As with any blog article, I only have so much space to fill. There’s a lot to be said on this central cardinal virtue, but I would regret leaving out Justice’s close friend: Mercy. Justice and mercy necessarily need to be seen as an indissoluble union of virtues. Justice without mercy is too burdensome and mercy without justice helps no one grow in virtue or perfection. Parents, teachers, and coaches should know and practice first-hand the mingling of mercy and justice. Both must always be given out together when someone breaks a just law.
How do we grow in this central virtue of justice? Start by practicing it on the internet (along with mercy). No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. When you see someone post something offensive, unjust, or even something you just don’t agree with on the internet, don’t “cancel” them or write mean things in the comment section. Pray for them. Send a direct message politely pointing out your argument against their statement. Be kind and compassionate. Remember to always use both justice and mercy.
