Prudence in these confusing times

WE cannot deny that we are in for some confusing albeit exciting times, and we just have to learn how to cruise in the tricky waves they produce. We have to contend not only with many but also contradicting ideas, views, opinions, and not only in matters of opinion which are already demanding but also in matters of core beliefs, faith and morals which are truly concerning. 

 How to act with the appropriate prudence that is always animated by charity is a skill and a virtue that needs to be developed or upgraded. We cannot stay at the same level and kind of prudence that we have had so far, since times are truly changing. 

 Today, the things to study and consider have increased in quantity and have grown in complexity. We have to learn to grapple with the new ideologies and the new technologies, or perhaps to be more precise, the new developments of the same ideologies and technologies that we have been having. 

 In any given issue, more and more parties are getting involved and they have to be given due attention too. We have to listen to all of them, no matter how insignificant or impertinent their views may be. This will require a lot of patience and humility, and the art of versatility without getting lost. 

 We need to be more adaptive to the varying sensibilities, cultures, lifestyles, ideologies, etc. involved. Indeed, we have to learn how to be accepting in dealing with each of these different and often conflicting parties without—hopefully—getting lost. We have to be ready to learn new things, modify and enrich our original and hopefully tentative positions, again without getting lost, as we go along. 

 No matter how wrong we feel some views and some people are, we should never close the lines of communication and dialogue if we want a truly human, not to mention, Christian world. 

 We have to learn to discuss and exchange ideas and opinions properly, avoiding the bitter zeal that would lead us to be closed-minded and extremely partisan in any issue at hand. 

 Yes, to be prudent in these confusing times would indeed require us to study things thoroughly, do the proper research, and undertake a widening web of consultations. We have to learn to refer ourselves to more and more branches of knowledge, sciences and technologies to be able to arrive at more enlightened judgments, opinions and views. 

 The virtue of prudence does not stop only at the level of study, research and consultation. It has to go all the way to making judgments and decisions. And when that time arrives, we can either withhold our judgment for mere lack of bases for such judgment when the circumstances would allow it, or we can make a judgment when we feel we have enough bases or when we somehow are forced to make one. 

 In all these possibilities, we should see to it that we form these judgments in the presence of God, asking for his light and grace. This is always indispensable, the only thing necessary actually, because even if we have done our best to be prudent, we can still be wrong, and yet if we have made that judgment in “bona fide,” it would still work out for the good, since with God all things, right or wrong, will work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28)

Let’s be quick on the rebound

WITH the wall of difficulties we are facing these days because of COVID, we have to see to it that we are quick on the rebound. We cannot simply be complacent, much less, defeatist or fatalist in our attitude toward our current predicament. There is always a rebound and we should be ready to seize it fast. 

 Again, let’s be guided by our faith that actually gives us a global picture of everything in our earthly life—its ups and downs, its twists and turns. Our Christian faith tells us that every crisis actually gives us a new opening, a new opportunity for growth and development, and that everything works for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) There’s always hope! God’s providence is always at work. 

 We should just stir up our sense of creativity and resourcefulness to take advantage of whatever opening and opportunity some obstacles and setback would actually offer. But it should be a sense of creativity and resourcefulness that is inspired by our faith, hope and charity in God and in everyone else. 

 Offhand, we can already see, thanks be to God, some signs of creativity and resourcefulness around. Some people are diversifying their business to adapt it to the new conditions. Others are learning new skills to tackle the new challenges. Many are trying their best to avoid getting simply trapped in the state of worry and sadness. 

 But just as we should be quick on the rebound in our attack mode, we should also be quick in our defense, to stall the enemies of our soul to take advantage of the rebound. We have to learn how to quickly steal the ball from them. 

 In this, some word of Christ can serve as a dire warning. It’s in the gospel of St. Matthew where we hear Christ saying: “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, I will return into my house where I came from; and when he comes, he finds it empty, swept and garnished. 

 “Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first…” (12,43-45) 

 These words are especially addressed to those people who have managed to have some radical conversion, expelling whatever demonic influence that they had been subjected to. They should see to it that they should never let their guard down. They should always be on the alert. 

 It’s a given that whenever we get closer to God, whenever we make some progress in our spiritual life, we would also become a favorite target of the enemies of our soul. And the state of vigilance and alertness expected of us should not scare us since God will always provide all the means and resources we need, as long as we stay close to him. God will never fail us. It’s rather us who can fail him. 

 So, we should do our part—praying always, doing everything in God’s presence, purifying our intentions, availing of the sacraments, waging a continuing struggle to develop virtues and quell temptations, etc. 

 We should do all this with a great sense of confidence. Again, this can only happen if we live firmly by our faith.

Where is God when we suffer?

THAT’S one of the FAQs in life—frequently asked questions many people, even among pious folks, make when they are made to suffer one way or the other. It only reveals that their faith is not yet that strong and deep, since the obvious answer is that God is right in the middle of their suffering. 

 Let’s remember that God is always with us through his continuing providence over all his creation. In our case, as human persons, he is with us in a most intimate way, that is, in our heart and mind, in our soul. The problem is that we often ignore him or take him for granted. 

 As our Catechism puts it, providence are “the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward their perfection…By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made…(n. 302) 

 Furthermore, the Catechism says that “the solicitude of divine providence is concrete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its history.” (n. 303) 

 In other words, God is always with us. He is constantly intervening in our life, directing us to him and showing us the way of how to live or go through the different experiences, situations and circumstances we can encounter in our life. He never abandons us. It’s rather us who can abandon him, again reprising St. Augustine’s observation that God is with us but we are not with him. 

 When we suffer, it’s not because God wants us to suffer. Suffering and eventually death are always a result, a consequence of sin, ours and those of the others. But God in Christ through the Holy Spirit shows us how to handle suffering. He is always with us when we suffer and assures us through Christ’s words: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33) 

 And St. Paul himself has assured us that the sting of death has been taken away (cfr. 1 Cor 15,55), because Christ has conquered both sin and death with his passion, death and resurrection. Thus, St. Paul teaches us that “if we have been united with him (Christ) in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Rom 6,5) 

 The precious lesson to learn from all this is that when we suffer, we should be guided mainly by our faith, and not just by our own human estimations. Otherwise, there is no other way but to go to the extent of questioning even the existence and love of God for us. 

 Yes, in this life, we can never escape from suffering and death, no matter how much we try. We just have to learn to suffer and die, the way Christ suffered and died for us, to convert our suffering and death into a way of our own salvation and a great help for the salvation of the others. 

 We should overcome our tendency to go through our suffering guided only by our feelings and many other natural and worldly factors. We have to learn how to be quick to suffer with Christ. That’s when we can manage to remain at peace and ever hopeful in the midst of our suffering. That’s when we can see how with God, everything will always work out for the good!