Q. Does the fact that I worry about the coronavirus mean I do not have enough faith?
A. As is so often the case, the answer to this lies in the middle.
Prudence, one of the Cardinal Virtues, disposes us to use our practical reason to determine the true good in every circumstance, as well as the means to achieve it. (CCC 1860). Aquinas referred to prudence as “right reason in action.”
Right reason means using the gift of reason to make good choices, drawing upon the knowledge we have gained from natural and supernatural sources. Imagine a person driving down I-80 with their eyes closed because they believed they had faith so God would protect them. They are not exercising prudence, as they are not living in accord with right reason. In the same way we are called to be prudent in dealing with sickness and disease, taking reasonable precautions to protect ourselves and others.
However, prudence cannot be mistaken for timidity. Again, it is right reason in action. Just as we are called to take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves and others, we are also called to not go to the other extreme and allow worry to lead us to make unreasonable choices. A person who locks themselves away in a room far from others may preserve their life but loses out on living their life. We have to accept that things are ultimately in God’s hands and, even if we live out the virtue of prudence, we will still have to face difficulties and suffering.
For many of us worry is not so much about a lack of faith as it is a fear of suffering. We worry that we will be forced to endure suffering, a perfectly natural fear. But we cannot allow fear of suffering to dictate how we live our lives. God never promises that our lives will be free from suffering (Our Lord’s certainly was not) but He does promise us that He will be there with us throughout it, that we will never suffer alone, and that our suffering can lead to our salvation and the salvation of others, if we endure it with love as our Lord did.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, vice chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
