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Prudence
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Friday  December 18, 2020
 
Prudence
 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines prudence as the "virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it. The prudent man looks where he is going." 
Prudence, a cardinal virtue, is the wisdom to foresee what might come of various actions so you can choose the one that will be the most effective to do the most good.

Among his many virtues, Joseph was prudent. Joseph’s prudence was a supernatural, holy prudence. A man of deep faith, he placed himself in God’s service using his mind and his heart to discern how to best serve God to bring about the greatest good. With God’s guidance, he made good choices for Mary and Jesus even though he knew these choices would require great risk and sacrifice. Mary, knowing Joseph was a prudent man, trusted his decisions, following his plan to escape for Egypt in the middle of the night without question (Matthew 1:20-21) and returning to Israel with him when he discerned, with God’s help, that it was safe (Matthew 2:19-20).

Joseph made good choices. He was a good guardian, and a man of action. He did not act rashly or timidly. He acted prudently, carefully assessing circumstances in light of his deep faith, knowing that the dreams he experienced were from God. His virtue of prudence is rooted in his faithfulness to God and to his wife. Together they put deep trust in God’s providence which empowered Joseph to take risks and make the right choices for the good of the Holy Family and the salvation of the world.

This reflection is written by Eileen Ziobrowski, Associate Director, Formation for Ministry

> In the silence of sleep, God spoke to Joseph guiding him in the decisions he was to make. St. Joseph's prudence and trust in God changed the world.

Pope Francis practices a special devotion to the sleeping Joseph. "On my table I have an image of Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church. When I have a problem or a difficulty, I write on a piece of paper and I put it under his statue so he can dream about it."

What problems or difficulties can you bring to St. Joseph?

Prayer for the Virtue of Prudence

Make me a person of prudence, my God:
Help me to practice good judgment and act responsibly:
by learning, by preparing, by listening,
and making good choices
with peace and joy in my heart.
I make this prayer in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Read GOD’S FAITHFUL AND PRUDENT SERVANT – Pope Francis and the miraculous image of the sleeping St. Joseph
Helping all the baptized to discover their vocation.