It is patience that governs our response to the "times of adversity" mentioned below in our continued reflection on the prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, For Ordering a Life Wisely. As St. Thomas quotes St. Augustine in his Summa Theolgica, "a man's patience it is whereby he bears evil with an equal mind, lest he abandon with an unequal mind the goods whereby he may advance to better things."
I quickly wondered, "what is the virtue that governs our response to the 'times of prosperity'?" I think it is in part governed by the virtue of humility. St. Thomas writes again, "a twofold virtue is necessary with regard to the difficult good: one to temper and strengthen the mind, lest it tend to high things immoderately; and this belongs to the virtue of humility." I'm not sure that this is quite it, though...and want to consider this more.
Still, it is clear that there is danger in either prosperity or adversity, and we pray for virtue to be happy in either state. Because as is well known, there are many quite wealthy folks who are unhappy in their excess, and there are many in poverty who demonstrate an uncommon joy. So clearly, happiness is not to be found in either material state, but in the state of our soul.
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