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dare to hope

PRUDENCE: THE VIRTUE OF KEEPING IT REAL

11/4/2020

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Prudence requires a certain open-mindedness.  We must respect the true variety of things and experiences that life presents to us.  In particular, we must be willing to take advice, for reality always exceeds our perspective.  As St. Thomas Aquinas notes, “No one is altogether sufficient in matters of prudence.”  In contrast, a know-it-all attitude demonstrates resistance to the truth of what is real.
 
Closely related to prudence is solertia.  This nimbleness appears when a sudden event confronts people and they do not close their eyes and blindly take random action, but instead decide for what is good and act swiftly, avoiding injustice, cowardice, and intemperance.  Their sudden action is not blameworthy,
for changing circumstances may demand swift responses.
 
One of the false forms of prudence is astutia, the cunning practiced by people who avoid reality and are concerned only with tactics.  This cunning can even be practiced in pursuit of a good end.  Genuine prudence, however, requires that both the means we use and the purposes we pursue be good.  It demands that we be consistently loyal to reality.  Thus prudence is essential to right action.

​Charles Hoffacker
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    The Rev. Charles Hoffacker is a retired priest of the Diocese of Washington
    who lives in Greenbelt, Maryland. He and his wife Helena Mirtova are members of Ascension and St. Agnes.

    The Rev. Mary McCue, is a vocational deacon and currently ministers at Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes.
    ​
    The Rev. Dominique Peridans is the Rector of Church of the Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Molly Jane Layton is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes. 

    Zach Baker Rodes is a seminarian intern at Ascension and St. Agnes.

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  • Welcome
    • Newcomers >
      • Letter to Inquirers
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • How to Find Us
    • Childcare
  • Who We Are
    • Our Beliefs >
      • Statements of Mission, Vision, Beliefs & Value
      • What is an Anglo-Catholic?
      • Apolitical or Supra Political?
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership >
      • Parish Staff
      • Vestry
  • Worship
    • About our Worship >
      • Attending Mass
      • Music
  • Formation
    • About Formation
    • Adult Formation >
      • Adult Theology Upcoming
      • Adult Theology Archive >
        • Knowing Christ
    • Sermons
  • Connect
    • Contact us
    • Rector's Weekly Letter
    • Pastoral Care >
      • Pastoral Offices >
        • Reconciliation (Confession)
      • Prayer Requests
    • Stewardship >
      • Stewardship Letter
      • Givelify Instructions
      • Planned Giving
      • Endowment Fund
  • Calendar
  • Baptism
  • Outreach
  • Feasibility Study