Pope Francis Entrusts to St Joseph Countries at War "To Saint Joseph we commend the populations of the tormented Ukraine and of the Holy Land - Palestine, Israel - who suffer so much from the horror of war"

POPE FRANCIS at the GENERAL AUDIENCE
in the Vatican's Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
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Cycle of Catechesis. Vices and Virtues. 12. Prudence
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We are devoting today’s catechesis to the virtue of prudence. Along with justice, fortitude and temperance, it is one of the so-called cardinal virtues, which are not the exclusive prerogative of Christians, but rather belong to the heritage of ancient wisdom, in particular of the Greek philosophers.

Therefore, one of the most interesting themes in the work of encounter and inculturation was precisely that of the virtues.

In medieval writings, the presentation of the virtues is not simply a list of the positive qualities of the soul. Returning to the classical authors in the light of Christian revelation, theologians imagined the septenary of virtues –three theological and four cardinal – as a sort of living organism, in which each virtue has a harmonious space to occupy. There are essential virtues and accessory virtues, like pillars, columns and capitals. Indeed, perhaps nothing better renders the idea of the harmony between man and his continual aspiration towards good than a medieval cathedral.

So, let us begin with prudence. It is not the virtue of the timorous person, always hesitant about what action to take. No, this is a mistaken interpretation. It is not even merely caution. Granting primacy to prudence means that the action of man is in the hands of his intelligence and freedom. The prudent person is creative: he or she reasons, evaluates, tries to understand the complexity of reality and does not allow him- or herself to be overwhelmed by emotions, idleness, pressures and illusions.

In a world dominated by appearances, by superficial thoughts, by the triviality of both good and bad, the ancient lesson of prudence deserves to be revived.

Saint Thomas, in the wake of Aristotle, called it “recta ratio agibilium”. It is the capacity to govern actions in order to direct them towards good; for this reason, it is dubbed the “coachman of the virtues”. Prudent are those who are able to choose: as long as it remains in the books, life is always easy, but in the midst of the wind and waves of daily life it is another matter; often we are uncertain and do not know which way to go. The prudent do not choose by chance: first of all, they know what they want, then they weigh up the situations, seek advice, and with a broad outlook and inner freedom, they choose which path to embark upon. That is not to say they do not make mistakes: after all, we are all human; but at least they avoid major setbacks. Unfortunately, in every environment there is someone who tends to dismiss problems with superficial jokes, or to incite controversy. Prudence is instead the quality of those who are called to govern: the know that to administer is difficult, that there are many points of view and one must try to harmonize them, that one must do not the good of some but of all.

Prudence also teaches that, as they say, “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. Indeed, too much zeal in some situations can cause disasters: it can ruin a construction that would have needed gradualness; it can give rise to conflicts and misunderstandings; it can even trigger violence.

The prudent person knows how to safeguard the memory of the past, not out of fear for the future, but because he or she knows that tradition is a patrimony of wisdom. Life is made up of a constant overlapping of old and new things, and it is not good always to think that the world begins with us, that we have to deal with problems starting from scratch. And the prudent person is also prescient. Once one has decided on the goal to strive for, it is necessary to obtain all the means to reach it.

Many passages of the Gospel help educate us in prudence. For example: the prudent man builds his house on the rock, and the imprudent builds his on sand (cf. Mt 7:24.27). Wise are the damsels who carry oil for their lamps and foolish those who do not (cf. Mt 25:1-13). The Christian life is a combination of simplicity and shrewdness. Preparing His disciples for the mission, Jesus recommends: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). As if to say that God does not only want us to be saints, He wants us to be intelligent saints, because without prudence, taking the wrong path is a moment’s mistake!

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Special Greetings

I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims, especially those coming from England, the Netherlands, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Japan, Korea and the United States of America. May the Lentern journey bring us to Easter with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Upon you and your families, I invoke joy and peace in Christ!

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I extend a cordial welcome to Italian-speaking pilgrims, in particular to the network of cities linked to the cult of Saint Oronzo, Bishop and martyr. Dear brothers and sisters, may the testimony of your heavenly protector, whose image I will be happy to bless, arouse in each one the desire to adhere ever more generously to Christ and the Gospel.

I also greet the parish of San Pietro in Grignano di Prato, the runners of Boves and the students of the comprehensive institute of Sora.

Finally, my thoughts go to the young people, the sick, the elderly and the newlyweds. Yesterday we celebrated the solemnity of Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of the universal Church. Together with you, I would like to entrust the Church and the entire world to his patronage, especially all the fathers who have in him a singular model to imitate.

To Saint Joseph we commend the populations of the tormented Ukraine and of the Holy Land - Palestine, Israel - who suffer so much from the horror of war. And let us never forget: war is always a defeat. You can't go on in war. We must make every effort to negotiate, to negotiate, to end the war. Let's pray for this.

My Blessing to all!

Je salue cordialement les personnes de langue française, particulièrement les jeunes provenant des établissements scolaires de France et leurs accompagnateurs. Frères et sœurs, à l’école de saint Joseph, que nous venons de fêter, apprenons à redécouvrir les vertus de courage et de prudence afin d’accomplir efficacement notre mission de baptisés dans notre société actuelle. Que Dieu vous bénisse!

[Rivolgo il mio cordiale saluto alle persone di lingua francese, in particolare ai giovani provenienti dagli Istituti scolastici di Francia e ai loro accompagnatori. Fratelli e sorelle, alla scuola di San Giuseppe, che abbiamo appena celebrato, impariamo a riscoprire le virtù del coraggio e della prudenza per svolgere efficacemente la nostra missione di battezzati nella società odierna. Dio vi benedica!]

Liebe Brüder und Schwestern deutscher Sprache, bitten wir den Heiligen Geist, er möge uns erleuchten, auf dass unsere Entscheidungen immer von der Klugheit geleitet seien. Auf diese Weise werden wir den Willen des Herrn in jeder Lebenslage erkennen und ihm folgen können.

[Cari fratelli e sorelle di lingua tedesca, chiediamo allo Spirito Santo di illuminarci perché le nostre scelte siano sempre guidate dalla prudenza. Così potremo discernere e seguire la volontà del Signore in ogni situazione della nostra vita.]

Saludo cordialmente a los peregrinos de lengua española. Pidamos al Señor que nos ayude a crecer en la virtud de la prudencia para que, en medio de las tormentas y los vientos que pueden sacudir nuestra vida, permanezcamos cimentados en Cristo, la piedra angular. Que Jesús los bendiga y la Virgen Santa los cuide. Muchas gracias.

Saúdo cordialmente os fiéis de língua portuguesa. Na próxima semana celebraremos o mistério Pascal, a paixão, morte e ressurreição do Senhor, razão da nossa fé e da nossa esperança. Que Ele vos abençoe abundantemente e que Nossa Senhora vos guarde!

[Saluto cordialmente i fedeli di lingua portoghese. La prossima settimana celebreremo il mistero Pasquale, la passione, morte e risurrezione del Signore, ragione della nostra fede e della nostra speranza. Egli vi benedica abbondantemente e la Madonna vi custodisca!]

أُحيِّي المُؤمِنِينَ النَّاطِقِينَ باللُغَةِ العَرَبِيَّة. اللهُ لا يُريدُنا أنْ نكون قِدِّيسينَ فقط، بل يُريدُنا أنْ نكون قِدِّيسينَ عاقِلِين، لأنَّهُ مِن دونِ الفِطنَةِ يُمكِنُنا أنْ نُخطِئَ الطَّريقَ في لَحظَةٍ واحدة! بارَكَكُم الرَّبُّ جَميعًا وَحَماكُم دائِمًا مِن كُلِّ شَرّ!

[Saluto i fedeli di lingua araba. Dio non ci vuole solo santi, ci vuole santi intelligenti, perché senza la prudenza è un attimo sbagliare strada! Il Signore vi benedica tutti e vi protegga ‎sempre da ogni male‎‎‎‏!]

Serdecznie pozdrawiam Polaków. Co roku 24 marca obchodzicie w Polsce Narodowy Dzień Życia. Myśląc o waszej Ojczyźnie, chciałbym odnieść do niej moje marzenie, jakie kilka lat temu wyraziłem, pisząc o Europie. Niech Polska będzie ziemią, która chroni życie w każdym jego momencie, od chwili, gdy pojawia się w łonie matki, aż do jego naturalnego kresu. Nie zapominajcie, że nikt nie jest panem życia, czy to swojego, czy też innych. Z serca wam błogosławię.

[Saluto cordialmente i polacchi. Ogni anno il 24 marzo celebrate in Polonia la Giornata Nazionale della Vita. Pensando alla vostra patria, vorrei riferirvi il mio sogno, che ho espresso qualche anno fa scrivendo sull’Europa. Che la Polonia sia una terra che tuteli la vita in ogni suo istante, da quando sorge nel grembo materno fino alla sua fine naturale. Non dimenticate che nessuno è padrone della vita, né propria né di quella degli altri. Vi benedico di cuore.]