Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
In his Second letter to the Corinthians, Paul recalls the cunning of the serpent who tricked Eve. It is interesting to note that of the four cardinal virtues, prudence has always been held out as the pilot virtue which governs the rest, even the theological virtues. Ignatius, in his First principle and foundation, asks us to be prudent in our judgements. Although he does not use the word, he does ask us to make judgements about how we use things “in so far as” they take us towards God. Prudence, then, demands that we understand the created world so that we can make good judgements concerning its use. Prudence, as I tell the first year students as they begin the College careers, is that they learn that a “could” does mean a “should.”