159.7月30日智德即謹慎－白孟德神父（Fr. Charles Belmonte Lopez）語錄-譯者:林豪

Following Christ can cost us effort. Yet St. Paul assures us that no real evil can come to us, only amazing good because we are predestined, called, justified, and glorified according to the image of Christ. “All things,” even suffering, “work for good for those who love God.”

追隨主基督會讓我們付出辛勞，然而，聖保祿向我們保證，沒有真正的邪惡會臨到我們身上，只有驚異的善，因為我們是被預定、召喚、稱義的，並根據主基督的形象獲得了榮耀。「萬事，」甚至是苦難，「都是為愛天主的人而行善」。

The kingdom of God, or the salvation Christ has won for us, or Christ himself, is of unsurpassed value. Thus, the most prudent thing is to put it first in one’s life, like the person who finds the treasure buried in the field, or the jeweler who finds a pearl of great price. At the same time, there is an urgency in doing so, because we will all be judged at the end of our lives and either be approved or condemned.

天主的國，或主基督為我們贏得的救恩，或主基督自己，具有無與倫比的價值。因此，最謹慎的做法，是把其置於一個人的生命中，就像那人發現藏在地裏的寶貝，或者發現價值連城的珍珠，那個珠寶商一樣(瑪13:44，46)。與此同時，這樣做是急迫的，因為我們都將在生命的盡頭，接受到審判，若不是被接納，或是被譴責。

Prudence, or sound decision-making, is the ability to know what to do in any situation and to act on that knowledge. Solomon had enough prudence to ask God for more of it. To obey and to love God’s will is great prudence.

To realize that God will judge me for the good and evil I do in this life is the beginning of prudence if it will move me to repent of the evil and to do good.

謹慎或合理的決策，是瞭解在任何情況下該如何行事，並根據這些知識採取行動的能力。撒羅滿有足夠的智德，好向天主祈求更多。服從和熱愛天主的旨意，是最偉大的智德。

要瞭解到，天主會因為我今生所做的善及惡而審判我，這是智德的開端，如果它會促使我悔改，去惡而行善的話。

Thomas Aquinas identified three steps or activities within prudence. They are counsel, judgment, and decision.

COUNSEL means to reflect on what to do, to think it over, to pray about it, to ask for advice, to use your intellect to try to discover the best thing to do with the time available.

The man who discovered a treasure buried in a field could not ask other people what might be the best to do, so he had to counsel himself.

聖多瑪斯·阿奎那（Thomas Aquinas）為智德，確立了三個步驟或行動。也就是忠告、判斷和決定。

忠告，意味著反思該如何做，思考它，為它祈禱，尋求建議，利用你的理智，試著發覺到最好的事情。

發現藏在地裏的寶貝的人，不能問別人如何做是最好的，所以他必須給自己建言。

JUDGMENT means to decide what, among the many possibilities, is best; meaning what will be moral, and also likely to be effective.

The man who found the treasure reasoned that the best course of action was to sell everything he had and buy that field. Very often, God wants us to continue digging, in the place we are, and there –not in another place– we will find the treasure.

判斷，意味著決定在眾多可能性中，什麼是最好的；意思是如何做，是符合道德的，並且也可能是有效的。

發現寶貝的人自我推斷，最好的做法是賣掉他所擁有的一切，買下那塊田地。很多時候，天主希望我們繼續地挖掘，在我們所在的地方，在那裡—而不是在其他地方—我們會找到寶貝。

DECISION means to take action. Based on what your reason tells you is best; then you tell your will to do it.

The man did sell his worldly possessions and bought that field and so got the treasure.

When it comes to the moral thing to do, prudence guides conscience. “The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment” of reason.

決定，意味著採取行動。根據你的理智，告訴你這是最好的；然後你告訴你的意志去做。

這個人確實賣掉了他世上的財產，買下了那塊田地，就這樣得到了寶貝。

當涉及到倫理的問題時，智德會引導良心。「謹慎的人，根據理智這樣的判斷，來決定和指導自己的行為。」

Aided by prudence, “we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.” (CCC 1806)

在智德的幫助下，「無誤地運用倫理的原則，並在辨別當行的善和當避的惡時，克服遲疑不決。」（天主教教理，1806）

Conscience does not determine what the moral principles are. Those principles are not “invented” but found in the natural law and the divine revealed law.

良心無法決定什麼是倫理的原則，這些原則不是「發明出來的」，而是在自然律和神聖啟示的律法中找到的。