Dear Prudence?

Sharing the Gospel is difficult.

There is no doubt that being a Christian in this day and age - in fact, in any day and age - is not an easy task. In the first century, Saint Paul told the Corinthians of his struggles in sharing the Gospel: “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clad and roughly treated, we wander about homeless and we toil, working with our own hands,” (1 Corinthians 4:11). There are innumerable roadblocks and obstacles to living and spreading the Gospel in our daily life. In this post, I would like to talk about one obstacle that is not imposed from outside by people hostile to the faith, but is perhaps an excuse, one that we often place upon ourselves, perhaps to justify our hesitancy in sharing the Gospel. This roadblock is often even masked as - and confused for - a virtue. I’m talking about the excuse of prudence.

While ancient and medieval philosophers used the word prudence to refer simply to practical wisdom about how to act, in modern times the word has taken on a connotation of cautiousness, or an unwillingness to take chances. People are called prudent if they avoid high-risk situations, stand back, refrain, or hesitate in the face of danger. Unfortunately, this attitude has crept into our evangelizing. When faced with a moral dilemma at work, a random comment aimed at insulting the Faith, or even an innocent and honest challenge, what do we do? We often hold back and say nothing, telling ourselves that we shouldn’t get involved because it would make me look uptight, I don’t want to start an argument, it’s not the right time or place, I don’t really know much about the Faith anyway, he has a right to his own opinion, what will so-and-so say, it’s not my place to speak up, maybe I’ll talk to her about it later, what if the Church’s teaching is offensive to him, I don’t want to have a falling-out over this, who am I to push my faith on others... and the list goes on! It all boils down to one thing, though: it wouldn’t be prudent for me to speak or act in defense of my faith. That’s what we tell ourselves, isn’t it?

So many of us have hidden behind the excuse of prudence for so long that it’s no wonder our culture is in the mess that it’s in. If no one steps up to defend Christianity, the culture will abandon it. But consider the attitude of the early Christians, and indeed all great saints and martyrs of every era, and you will see that none of them frittered away opportunities for evangelization under the guise of “prudence.” Far from shirking evangelization, Saint Paul positively ran towards it, both in word and in deed. During his missionary journeys, he sought out people with whom he could share the Gospel. In Athens, he went the Jews in the synagogue and Gentiles in the public square (Acts 17:17), and in Ephesus he set up camp in the synagogue for three months, sharing the faith with his fellow Jews (Acts 19:8).

In his letters, Paul was no less urgent about the need to stand fast in the faith and not to waver in one’s commitment to the Gospel: “Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,” (2 Thessalonians 2:15), “Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong,” (1 Corinthians 16:13). He encouraged his audience not to be afraid of being called fools or ridiculed for the faith: “...we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and men alike. We are fools on Christ’s account…” (1 Corinthians 4:10). Saint Peter also exhorted his audience to be vigilant, and not to be afraid of being inconvenienced when defending the faith: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,” (1 Peter 3:15). Further, both Paul and Peter (and all the other eleven apostles except for Judas Iscariot), were killed for the faith, the ultimate inconvenience!

Martyrs throughout the history of the Church have borne witness to Christ to the point of giving their lives. In the west, we might not be called to make a sacrifice of that magnitude, but the martyrs’ example should be enough to inspire us to bear the minor inconvenience of having someone else think ill of us.

With the witness of thousands of saints and martyrs living lives of heroic virtue, we should not be afraid to be decisive and “make a mess” for Christ, as Pope Francis said. Even the words of Our Lord Himself tell us to take a stand for the faith: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters,” (Matthew 12:30). We must be decisive! All of us, especially young people these days, have the ability to change our culture for the better, to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and we won’t do that by misusing the virtue of prudence to justify our silence.

Live a life of chastity. Men, relearn what it is to be a gentleman, not lording it over women in a domineering way, not seeing a woman as a thing to be manipulated, but as a person to be loved. Women, rediscover the beauty of your femininity as something not to be ashamed of as “less than” masculinity, but as something to be loved and embraced as a gift that uniquely conforms you to that most perfect of all creatures, the Blessed Virgin, and which allows you to love God more perfectly.

Live a life of heroic virtue. Do not be afraid to be a fool for Christ, because He was not afraid to be stripped naked and ashamed for your sake. Do not be discouraged when your friends, your colleagues, your cousins, your neighbors insult you, hate you, and utter every kind of evil against you because of Christ. Do not be afraid to speak what you know is the truth. It is not your opinion, it’s not your point of view, it’s not just one way of looking at things, but it is the Truth. Pope John Paul II, one of the greatest Pontiffs our Church has ever had, began his pontificate by telling us, “do not be afraid.”

So do not be afraid! Sacrifice everything for Christ, as He did for you. Be a fool for the one who was called “out of his mind.” Be willing to be criticized for the one who was ridiculed, spat upon, mocked and beaten for you. Be willing to suffer for the one was nailed to a piece of wood for you. Be willing to die to yourself for the one who said “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.” Love Him to death, as He loved you to the point of His death.

Do not hide behind the false shield of a phony “prudence.” Don’t say to yourself, “Someone else will defend the faith. It’s not the right place. It’s not the right time.” You are to defend the faith, wherever you are is the right place, and now is the right time. Be a fool for Christ.