Pathways to Community: Four Weeks on Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance

This four-week series of daily meditations examines the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. These virtues "quiet us; they order our senses; they provide the strength of healthy self-denial," writes Morneau. And as the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity focus on our relationships with God, the cardinal virtues define our relationships with one another and the larger society. Each cardinal or "moral" virtue is presented in seven sections, each made up of two short reflections, one by Morneau and the other from the work of an novelist, poet, theologian, or philosopher. These daily meditations end with a question and short prayer. I found the chapter on temperance striking in terms of today's culture of busy-ness, and excess. The daily meditations address the need for self-denial, silence, and asceticism. In the meditation on confronting impetuosity, Morneau writes of "active temperaments." He turns to Francis de Sales for advice on taming impulsiveness. Francis' guidelines include becoming accustomed to speaking gently, walking slowly, and doing everything quietly and in moderation. "In three or four years," Francis writes, "you will have regulated this hasty impulsiveness." He encourages the practice any time, anywhere, even when impetuous urges are not present. The closing question is about the tempo of our lives and how we handle our impulses. In prayer, we ask Jesus to "gentle our ways" and give us patience and moderation to discern and obey God's will.