Using Prudence and Fortitude to Win Souls for Christ

Some years ago, I saw the film “A Man for All Seasons”. If you haven’t seen it, it tells the story of Saint Thomas More and King Henry VIII, and their friendship that went south after Henry decided to leave the Church after his annulment would not be granted.

Sir More initially has the life of a noble; a good house, respect and admiration of many. But when the rift begins between the king and the Church, Sir More is implored to sign on with all those who have supported Henry VIII’s claim that his marriage should be annulled. Everyone does, and the pressure on him becomes immense. He loses his prestige, his money, and his family suffers. But More stood on his principles and in the end paid for it with his life by being beheaded. Dying just before him was Cardinal John Fisher, who like More, had a life where he was highly respected. The son of a merchant, he received college degrees, and became a bishop. One of his students was the future king, Henry VIII. But like More, he was unafraid to speak out for the truth, writing against errors of the time, and even speaking out against the king, which led to him being martyred on June 22, 1535. More would die on July 6th of the same year.

I don’t think any spin-doctor could use kind words for Henry VIII. A man who wanted power and prestige, he broke with the Roman Catholic Church, had people killed – including two individuals just two days after he became king at age 18 – and of course had several of his wives murdered. But what’s curious is how you still had people who were willing to speak out for what mattered.

We might not face such an extreme situation, as we hear in this week’s Gospel, Jesus has come to set the earth on fire and that He is a cause for division, for because of His teachings, households will be divided. How true that is, because so many are blind to the truth and can react with hostility to it – whether it’s a family where some people are making bad choices, or the larger world where so many embrace false truths. It is up to us to set the earth on fire – not to destroy it, but rather to set it on fire with God’s love through the Holy Spirit working through us.

How this applies to us is to use the virtue of prudence. On the one hand, there are those who think it’s socially awkward to ever mention religion. And so the faith becomes something that we simply do on Sundays and is left at the Church door. On the other are people who mean well, but really don’t do much for the faith – people who might leave literature on windshields, go door to door, or be in someone’s face constantly about their religion.

It’s important for us to walk that middle road. We never want to subject the faith to ridicule. By that, sometimes we might push people further away if we make a spectacle of ourselves, or are constantly harping on people for not going to church. We might mean well, but sometimes actions can cause someone to look at the Church in the wrong way, or someone might come across as a zealot. Jesus reminds us to not be overly persistent in preaching the gospel to those who stubbornly reject it.

The flip side though is the other extreme – those who never say anything. In the film, More remains silent for a while, and tries to have it both ways, but he can’t – and so he decides to take a stand, even though he has a family. Fisher speaks out as well. They probably knew they might not change the king’s position, but they knew they had to do the right thing. And, because of them, who knows how many they have influenced through time.

Sometimes it is appropriate to not talk about the faith, because doing so will push people away, or it might not be the right time. But other times we need to speak up and take a stand. This is where prudence is needed that helps guide fortitude.

When we realize it’s time to act, we pray – remembering as I noted last week that God is always with us. We also remember that to love is to will the good of the other; this means sometimes we have to do difficult things, like challenge with love, or talk about things that we know may “rock the boat” a bit. We all know that silence and ignoring problems often perpetuates dysfunction, and this is true whether we are talking about family problems, or people going down the wrong path. When trying to change minds and hearts, we strive to meet people where they are at, talk to them in love, remind them that we are there to help, and through it all be patient. Of course, this may at times blow up or not achieve the results we hope for. But think of Saint Stephen and Saint Paul – both saints, but Paul, then Saul the young Pharisee persecuting Christians, assisted in taking Stephen’s life. And yet he converted and changed the world. When we are tempted to give up on people or the world, or things seem bleak, we must never forget just because we do not see immediate results does not mean that good will not come of our actions.

It’s often the case that at first people might not want to see the problems in their lives or in the world. But we are instrumental in setting the world on fire as Jesus challenges us this week. For while fire can destroy, fire also purifies, bringing about new growth. This is the power of love – something that at times brings challenge, but can lead to such happiness for ourselves and others when we are willing to not retreat from difficulty of evangelization, but go with Jesus into the deep as a fisher of men.

God bless,

Fr. Paul

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August 2025