Lord, please help me learn how to use good discretion. I need grace to overcome all forms of immoderation. I know the virtue of discretion will help me be more content and happy. Please give me the grace I need to use good discretion and live with moderation in my daily activities.
Jesus, you know my heart and how I desire things because I believe they will give me pleasure and make me happy. I spend time and money on these things, but they often leave me feeling restless and unfulfilled. I’ve realized over the years that indulging myself with things that give me pleasure usually leads to negative consequences.
Holy Spirit, I humbly ask for your gentle guidance. Please convict my conscience with the voice of truth and common sense to help me avoid excessive spending on things I want but don’t need. Convict my conscience over excessive media consumption so that I do not spend too much time on devices, through online discussions, video consumption, reading news, or social media scrolling. Help my use good discretion to avoid consuming content immoderately.
Holy Spirit, I also ask for gentle guidance to help me restrain myself when I’m socializing with others. Help me to desire to listen over wanting to be heard. Convict my conscience when I am about to say or do something immoderate. Help me see myself as God sees me, and have a servant’s heart.
Lord, you know I sometimes lack ability to use good discretion. There are times when I should suppress my desire to speak about something but I talk indiscriminately. I want to change. I am guilty of having spoken freely without respect for privacy. I am sorry for not using good judgment in the past. Thank you for loving me and giving me an opportunity for true freedom from immoderation. I know that if I use good discretion I will have true happiness that is not tied to self-indulgent behavior.
Lord, with the grace to grow in the virtue of discretion I will overcome all forms of immoderation. This will help me will grow in holiness, and I will finally have true spiritual happiness. I will no longer be tempted by a selfish attachment to worldly pleasures.
The deeper I come to understand your love for me, the more I am aware I need to use good discretion and not be so concerned about fulfilling selfish wants and needs according to my desires. You know my heart and everything I lack. Thank you for having a merciful heart. Please forgive me for all my selfish desires and the many times I have indulged myself when I should have had discretion. I see how my sinful habits of immoderation have caused me both financial and relationship problems in my life. I repent for every selfish action in my life that was immoderate, excessive, and has led to a bad consequence. Please help me avoid all forms of immoderation from this day forward.
I know that you love me and if I ask for the grace to change you will give it to me. Jesus, you have always been there for me. You have never betrayed me or forsaken me. Please increase in me the virtue of discretion so that I might avoid all forms of immoderation.
AMEN.
"Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it."
Use Good Discretion to Avoid all Forms of Immoderation
Concerning Immoderation
by St. Hildegard von Bingen
The seventh image truly stands for immoderation, which suitably follows after unhappiness. When a man rebels against the good things of God, immoderation shoots up everywhere it is able. This means that bent by his own strength, man leans toward the lower part of the worst ways of his own will. He thinks about the various vanities so that he can draw himself to them. He does this to disturb the honesty of righteous guidance, which leads nowhere, and to fulfill the pleasures of his own desires.
Liber Vitae Meritorum, The Second Part, Paragraph 58
Week 14 of the Virtue Meditations Series
Use Good Discretion to Avoid all Forms of Immoderation
Reflection:
What is Good Discretion?
This virtue asks us to deny our base desires and live holy lives of discipline. When we have good discretion we can restrain our appetites and use temperance. We can deny the desires of our hearts when we are tempted because we know they cannot be trusted and we have the strength to say no to ourselves. Good discretion helps us gain mastery over the sins of the flesh. When we have good discretion we don’t rely on our inclination and strength. We use moderation instead, and we rely on the Lord to direct us because we learn that his way is best. The Apostle Paul says Christians with good discretion live “sober, upright, and godly lives in this world” (Titus 2:14).
What is Immoderation?
There is a verse in 1 Corinthians 13 that talks about putting away childish things. This is immoderation. It comes at the end of a long section describing love’s true meaning. Verse 11 says, “When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.“
According to St. Hildegard of Bingen, if we want to grow in the virtue of discretion we need self-control. This is something lacking in children who are often impulsive, selfish, and emotional. But as children grow and mature they should be taught the virtue of good discretion and how to self-regulate.
What are examples of Immoderation?
Ask the Lord to send you the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the areas in your life where you lack good discretion.
Do you obsess about things you desire? Can you regulate your wants and deny yourself things for the sake of God and your well-being? Or do you find yourself indulging in things you know are bad for you? Do you have guilt about something in particular? When we learn how to self-regulate it brings us closer to the Lord because we deny our desires out of love for him. This puts God ahead of everything else.
How to Have Good Discretion
St. Hildegard of Bingen warns us to remember the God who created us and not lean on our own false confidence in life. You can’t walk according to your own desires. Without the guidance of God you will work to “raise yourself on high to throw yourself into the abyss, and stand in prosperity to fall into calamity” Scivias, Book 2 Vision 2.
The virtue of good discretion allows us to manage our affairs carefully. St. Hildegard advises the person of faith to “leave childish behavior and grow up to the fullness of virtue and persevere in its strength, leaving the pride of his desire, which pants after foolish vice; but let him with anxious care meditate on what may be useful for him” Scivias, Book 2 Vision 2.
Going Further:
Meditate this week on 1 Corinthians 13, the chapter of love, and on Titus 2, the chapter on temperance and Christian living.
Let us Pray:
Now that we understand the virtue of discretion, let’s begin with a prayer of petition for it.
Virtue of Discretion
Prayer of Petition
Eternal Father, I am the work of your creation, made in your image and likeness but too weak to conquer the devil by my own power. I ask you for the grace to grow in virtue, surrendering all my thoughts, words, and deeds to you. Please help me resist the devil and all his tricks. Jesus says that whoever believes in him will do the works that he does and that whatever we ask in Jesus’ name he will do so that You may be glorified. Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son to show us what it means to have perfect virtue in life. Jesus is fully human and fully divine and has perfect virtue. Father, have mercy on me and please give me the grace I need to grow in the virtue of discretion so that I might grow in holiness and imitate Christ in my thoughts, words, and deeds. AMEN.
Now let’s contemplate the Lord by listening to him speak to us in the Gospels. Slowly meditate on the following passage, reflecting on his virtue of discretion. Take your time. Pause over a word or phrase that speaks to your heart. Reread the passage, and then ask Jesus to show you how you can imitate him through using good discretion. Choose a word or phrase from this passage to write in your journal, and add your thoughts. Go back and prayerfully re-read it throughout the week.
Use Good Discretion
The Man with a Withered Hand
from the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 12:8-21
Moving on from there, he went into their synagogue.
And behold, there was a man there who had a withered hand. They questioned him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him.
He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep that falls into a pit on the sabbath will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable a person is than a sheep. So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored as sound as the other.
But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many [people] followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Let us Pray:
Jesus, you withdrew from that place. You warned them not to make you known. Please, Lord, help me to have good discretion and to obey you. Protect me from the vice of having immoderation and leaning on my own false confidence.
Jesus, keep me in your name. Protect me and guard me from temptation. Do not let me be like the Pharisees who went out and took counsel against you and put you to death. They thought they were right. Do not let me have false confidence in myself or act according to my desires because I will think I am rising to the heights when I am actually falling into the abyss. I can do nothing without you. Please protect me from all temptations of immoderation. Give me a pure heart, mind, and eyes that assent to your will. Help me imitate you in the way you acted with perfect discretion in this scripture passage.
I do not want to live according to my own heart’s desires. Consecrate me in the truth. Send me, Lord, into the world and help me be one with the Holy Trinity and one with my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus, you are a gift to me. Thank you for being present to me. Give me the grace to be present to you and to grow in the virtue of discretion. AMEN.
Virtue of Discretion
A Prayer for an Increase in Virtue for Others
Lord Jesus Christ, you say that when two or more are gathered in your name, you are with us. Jesus, in your name I lift up every person who has joined this prayer challenge or will join it in the future. I ask you to give us all the grace we need to grow in virtue and holiness so that we may love and serve you in our lives and through the people we love and care for. Help us in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Guide us all by your Holy Spirit and give us the strength to overcome every temptation from the evil one. We ask all this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Together as a group we will pray for each other and strive to make good resolutions and keep them. Remember, God loves you and he is gentle, kind, and merciful. He wants your heart. If you desire to imitate him in holiness he will bless your efforts.
If you fail, do not quit trying. Be merciful to yourself and learn to love the process of striving to be more like Jesus every day. Stay in the present moment with Jesus, especially when you are tempted. Keep your gaze on Jesus. Being virtuous is a process. No one is perfect, so just start anew every time you fail.
How do I Practice Virtue?
You’ve learned about the 14th Virtue, and you’ve prayed for God to give you grace. Now what? Let’s take a look at the Catechism for some guidance on how we can make Week 14 a successful effort.
"Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods. It ensures the will's mastery over instincts and keeps desires within the limits of what is honorable. The temperate person directs the sensitive appetites toward what is good and maintains a healthy discretion: "Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart." Temperance is often praised in the Old Testament: "Do not follow your base desires, but restrain your appetites." In the New Testament it is called "moderation" or "sobriety." We ought "to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world."
To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one's heart, with all one's soul and with all one's efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole and uncorrupted (through temperance). No misfortune can disturb it (and this is fortitude). It obeys only [God] (and this is justice), and is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (and this is prudence)."
Making Resolutions
Take a moment to reflect on the virtue of discretion. What are the ways you can freely practice this virtue this week? Ask the Lord to give you opportunities, and when you feel the Holy Spirit prompting you, take action. Write down your resolutions for this coming week in your prayer journal. Remind yourself to complete these resolutions daily for this entire week, and as the Spirit prompts you, feel free to write about your experiences with this virtue throughout the week.
In My Thoughts:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my thoughts by… (make your intention).
In My Words:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my words by… (make your intention).
In My Actions:
Jesus, this week I promise to take time daily to conform my actions by… (make your intention).
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Week 15 Mental Prayer Meditation
Fighting against Evil for the Salvation of Souls
“Fighting against Evil for the Salvation of Souls” – Join us for our 15th meditation on the 35 virtues of St. Hildegard of Bingen.
4 Responses
Hi beloved blessed it’s imanuel I lost the phone was robbed. that was receiving emails from iam Jesus. Was praying virtues of 35weeks was on week 17. Could you be on my aid. God bless you.
Imanuel, I am very sorry to hear about this! When we strive to follow God there is always something that comes against us to make us stop. I will pray for your situation, and for the one who robbed you. Do not worry about being behind. It is wonderful that you are persevering. May God continue to bless you and keep you close to his heart. God bless you!
This is such a beautiful compilation of virtue and vice, incorporating the inspirations of God to St. Hildegard of Bingen, the Catechism, scripture and journal prompts. Thank you, thank you! May you be eternally blessed!
Thank you! This series changed my life. There are 35 in all. St. Hildegard of Bingen is truly wonderful to read and study.