One of the most important lessons I learned in life both in the minor seminary for two years as a teenager studying to be a priest and as a married adult in formation for ordination as a deacon was to adopt virtues that represent who I am and how to maintain a holy life.
For me, the answers came to seven words: Courage; Strength; Wisdom; Understanding; Peace; Joy and Grace. Though each can stand alone, the pairing of all of them give a completeness for which I look to for answers and a wholeness that provides a path to being one with God in our relationship.
Rather than define a meaning for each with a quick example today, I will start with Courage this week, and continue weekly with the other words until all are presented. On the eighth week I will connect the “dots,” so to speak, to illustrate how all need to find closeness with God by finding a path through the Spirituality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Courage as a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear or difficulty.
Spiritual Courage is the willingness to challenge our deepest held beliefs, to confront fear and uncertainty through our faith, and to remain true to our values and principles, regardless of the situation. It is a quality of the human spirit that empowers us to face our fears, overcome adversity and transform ourselves and others.
Spirituality adds to the definition a quality of temperament enabling one to hold one’s own or keep up one’s morale when opposed or threatened.
Courage is no stranger to us in that many people practice it daily in their jobs as fire personnel, police, nurses and doctors to name a few. We only need to remember those who gave their lives to help save people during the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, knowing that they had a slim chance of survival.
Acts of courage can be as simple as sharing about something with management at work that has caused consternation but needs to be addressed for the sake of all concerned.
Courage is something I witness quite often, not only as a deacon who meets with people who seek to be more resolute within their life, but in the everyday lives of people who cope with whatever happens; good or bad.
Those who are suffering serious illnesses often wonder if their fight to get better is worth the effort when the outcome may not bring them to a state of life they once knew. Pain is a cause for many to give up, but those who persevere give a hope to all of us who might be predisposed to ailments that might cause us to be faced with the same or similar hardships.
It should be no surprise to anyone that life can change very quickly to bring an unknown aspect with which we must cope. Courage most often gets us through such times when we are unsure about what we should or need to do.
In a recent undergraduate program of a granddaughter of ours, the commencement address entitled “What If,” given by Matthew Dildine, J.D., Chief Executive Officer of Fresno Mission, challenged the graduates to looking beyond what they got in their degree, unless it is what God is calling them to do. The example he used was of a janitor at the college who decided to help those less fortunate than his own family and today has created multiple parks in destitute areas for the poor who had no hope.
The response from our granddaughter to the speech is that it offers alternatives she might never have considered because she is focused on beginning her own career based on her double major of political science and philosophy. “What If” may be the path God has called her to and she can use her degree to make it a reality. That would take a lot of courage.
Let us take this week to consider some life opportunities God may be calling us to consider, but we don’t believe we have enough courage to take that step to make a difference. We might realize that God’s challenge and our makeup may be all we need to use courage throughout our life.
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