November 14, 2013 WBAS Cat Prayers & Reflections, WBAS Topics Virtues & Values, REL Topic- Virtues/Values, REL Asset - Prayer Card
By: Kathy Hendricks
I don’t remember much about the discussion, but I do remember Father Lascelles’ response. I was lingering with other teachers and school staff around the dinner table and talk had turned to overindulgence. What qualified as substances or experiences that could do damage to one’s body and soul? Father Lascelles’ quiet observation silenced us all: “Too much of anything is bad for you.”
It’s been a few decades since the conversation took place but the wisdom of that comment sticks with me. My dinner companions and I were all serving as volunteers in a program called the Frontier Apostolate. We lived in a small complex in Fort Saint James, British Columbia, and were paid a whopping $50 a month, plus room and board, for our service to the school. The bishop of Prince George, Fergus O’Grady, built and staffed all of the Catholic schools in his diocese with volunteers from Canada, the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Father Lascelles was pastor and oversaw the school as well as the parish and a couple of missions. Every night he came from his home on a reservation two miles away to eat dinner with us.
With little to do in a small and remote town, we spent many hours discussing philosophical issues. I don’t remember most of them, but that discussion, in particular, sticks with me. I didn’t register it at the time, but my experience in Canada was teaching me why temperance is one of the virtues upon which others hinge (thus, the meaning of a “cardinal” virtue). On the surface, it is about reigning in our appetites – all of the too-much behavior that leads, at worst, to addiction. At its core, however, lies the grace of simplicity. By practicing self-control, resisting extremes, and abstaining from anything that, in excess, is bad for us, we come to appreciate the benefits of temperate living. What arises is contentment with what we have rather than hoarding or yearning for more. Peace, gratitude, and joy all hinge upon its practice.
My three years as a volunteer were some of the sweetest of my entire life. I met my husband, Ron, and made other friends who remain dear to my heart. In some sense, our lives since those days have been a quest for something similarly temperate – the simple joy of dinner conversation and the quiet recognition that all we need is what we already have.
Bright Ideas
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Engage your family or class in a discussion about temperance. How does practicing self-control lead to a more contented life?
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Download my Prayer for Temperance, and use it in your parish or home.