{"id":10662,"date":"2014-12-01T12:37:01","date_gmt":"2014-12-01T17:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/?p=10662"},"modified":"2014-12-01T12:37:01","modified_gmt":"2014-12-01T17:37:01","slug":"choosing-a-prudent-not-a-tough-advent-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/unequallyyoked\/2014\/12\/choosing-a-prudent-not-a-tough-advent-fast.html","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Prudent (not a ‘Tough’) Advent Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In 2014, I\u2019m reading and blogging through Pope Francis\/Cardinal Bergoglio\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>Open Mind, Faithful Heart: Reflections on Following Jesus<\/a>. \u00a0Every Monday, I\u2019ll be writing about the next meditation in the book, so you\u2019re welcome to\u00a0peruse them all<\/a>\u00a0and\/or read along.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"NOT<\/a>
NOT<\/em> an example of fortitude<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this week\u2019s reading, Pope Francis\u2019s discussion of Christ\u2019s preparation for death nicely parallels Joseph Pieper\u2019s chapter on Fortitude in\u00a0The Four Cardinal Virtues<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Francis:<\/p>\n

Jesus took his death seriously, as he did his life. \u00a0Annointed by the Spirit, he was able to discern the signs of the time and was therefore perfectly aware that his \u201chour\u201d would soon come (cf John 2:4; 7:30; 13:1; Matt 26:45). \u00a0Paradoxically, however, we find that Jesus at times \u201chid himself\u201d to escape public notice and persecution (cf. John 7:1; 8:59). \u00a0Jesus was no coward, but neither was he suicidal \u00a0He was hiding from the police, from the assassins, from his enemies, because his hour had still not arrived. \u00a0The thought of death distressed him (John 12:27), but he accepted the divine will; he left everything in the hands of his Father. \u00a0He knew that he was going to die, but he did not hand himself over recklessly.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And here\u2019s Pieper:<\/p>\n

If the specific character of fortitude consists in suffering injuries in the battle for the realization of the good, then the brave man must first know what the good is, and he must be brave for the sake of the good. \u00a0\u201cIt is for the sake of the good that the brave man exposes himself to the danger of death.\u201d \u00a0\u201cIn overcoming danger, fortitude seeks not danger itself, but the realization of rational good.\u201d \u00a0\u201cTo take death upon oneself is not itself praiseworthy, but solely because of its subordination to good.\u201d \u00a0It is not the injury that matters primarily, but the realization of the good.<\/p>\n

Therefore fortitude, though it puts man to the severest test, is not the first and greatest of the virtues. \u00a0For neither difficulty nor effort causes virtue, but the good alone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s customary for many Catholics to fast or engage in some other kind of penitential practice during Advent (which began yesterday). \u00a0 And, for me at least, it\u2019s tempting to use\u00a0difficulty<\/em> as my guide to what would be a good discipline for Advent. \u00a0After all, penitential preparation is about doing something\u00a0hard<\/em> right? \u00a0And mortifying my will?<\/p>\n

But, as Pope Francis and Pieper remind me, I\u2019m not exercising my will simply for the sake of making it stronger along\u00a0any<\/em> dimension. \u00a0I\u2019m trying to reshape it and order it to the good. \u00a0I could commit to running for a half-hour every day (I\u2019m\u00a0definitely<\/em> not) or taking up a restrictive fast, and either of those practices would be difficult and intrusive (and the running would actually be pretty good for me), but neither does much to educate my will and build up my prudence.<\/p>\n

As Pieper explains, prudence isn\u2019t simple pragmatism, it\u2019s accurate knowledge of\/understanding of the world as it actually is. \u00a0It\u2019s the prerequisite to bravery, since our bravery is only good insofar as it\u2019s rightly applied.<\/p>\n

So, in lieu of choosing an Advent practice for the sake of being taxing, I\u2019ve chosen a discipline (I\u2019ll tell you about it tomorrow) that will be pretty invisible if I\u2019m doing it well, is a bit challenging (though not physically), and (hopefully) will educate my conscience in ways that will last past this season.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, have any of you taken up specific disciplines for Advent?<\/p>\n

How did you choose?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2014, I\u2019m reading and blogging through Pope Francis\/Cardinal Bergoglio\u2019s\u00a0Open Mind, Faithful Heart: Reflections on Following Jesus. \u00a0Every Monday, I\u2019ll be writing about the next meditation in the book, so you\u2019re welcome to\u00a0peruse them all\u00a0and\/or read along. In this week\u2019s reading, Pope Francis\u2019s discussion of Christ\u2019s preparation for death nicely parallels Joseph Pieper\u2019s chapter on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":10663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,177],"tags":[201,227],"class_list":["post-10662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parsing-catholicism","category-spiritual-practice","tag-offering-weakness","tag-pope-francis-bookclub"],"yoast_head":"\nChoosing a Prudent (not a 'Tough') Advent Fast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In 2014, I\u2019m reading and blogging through Pope Francis\/Cardinal Bergoglio\u2019s\u00a0Open Mind, Faithful Heart: Reflections on Following Jesus. \u00a0Every Monday, I\u2019ll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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