By Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., Catholic Exchange, Feb. 28, 2022
Fr. Gregory Pine is a Dominican friar of the Province of Saint Joseph. He is presently assigned as a doctoral candidate in dogmatic theology at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland)….
Editor’s note: This article is an excerpt from Fr. Pine’s new book, Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly (Our Sunday Visitor). For longer excerpts and more information on the book, click here.
Human certainty comes from what we can really know, but in practical matters there are a lot of unknowns. Real certainty is found within those limits, within the terms set for us by our actual lives. When it comes to limits, we first have to be reconciled to the inscrutability of human affairs. In a given situation, there are any number of ways that you can legitimately act. And with each of these ways, there are potential consequences, both good and bad. Once you begin to entertain all of these consequences, the prospect of making a decision may become overwhelming.
For instance, let’s say that a friend recently hosted you for the weekend while you were in town for business. You are grateful and want to communicate that. You could buy her a little house plant, for instance, or give her a gift certificate to a local restaurant. …