Sep 2 Tue
Should I base my judgments and decisions on solid principles?
One came up to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" The words of this Gospel character reflect the need of every soul to judge wisely about the important things in life.
Like us, that man wanted to know clearly the principles on which to base his personal behavior. The great variety of opinions on these matters, and the many different situations encountered in life, lead us to seek some norms of judgement and conduct which are certain, permanent, harmonious, and simple.
These clear principles should establish a general framework to assess the value of the learning we acquire and accumulate over the years. This knowledge must connect us to our ultimate purpose or end.
Our struggle as Christians, our relationship with God in prayer and the sacraments, the formation we receive, and the good example of others, all offer us solid objective values and make us souls of sound judgment. We will then be able to judge correctly the events and situations in which we find ourselves.
To be truly wise, it is not enough to know many things, even if they appear to be very profound. We must have priorities, with some items of knowledge subordinated to others within a proper order. More importantly, there must be a fundamental principle that assigns each thing to its place. That supreme principle, which should guide our whole life, is: “If you would enter life, keep the commandments." From it, we will derive surpassing human knowledge and experience: “I now understand more than the aged, for I keep your commandments."
We shall begin to apply Christian principles, with prudence and deliberation, to everyday situations.
To fulfill God's Will in everything, we must not judge by appearances, but by right judgment: it is essential always to be impartial, to have a good grasp of the facts, to distinguish facts from matters of opinion, and to know how to apply the principles of Catholic teaching to the matter in hand. And that demands a deep knowledge of the truths of faith, which in turn necessitates study, as in any other field.
And so, to ensure sound judgment, we need a thorough ongoing formation in religious doctrine to guide us in our actions and define the vast area of those questions that God has left to man's free interpretation. This formation must be matured by personal study. It is not sufficient simply to hear: we need to take an active interest, to be well-versed in doctrinal matters to help others, and to distinguish truth from falsehood in current trends of thought.
Incorrect attitudes can slip in by a gradual acceptance of our own mistakes or those of others. That is when we have to rectify, clarify our ideas, and be humble. Thus, “Through weakness, we may make mistakes occasionally. But we must have clear ideas and a clear conscience. We cannot allow ourselves to do wrong things and say they are holy."