The Attraction of Courage!

There is something about the virtue of courage that calls to my heart in a way that many other virtues do not. Why is that I wonder? Is it because our modern world overflows with cowardice, that so few are willing to defend the truth? Fr. John Hardon often urged parents to raise their children to be martyrs. "You do not remain faithful to the Savior without paying for it," he once said. 

Whom Shall I Send?

People today are very wrapped up in a love of comfort. They seek safe spaces where nothing jars their self adjusted definition of right and wrong, or their lazy idea of meeting the challenges of a virtuous life, which often amounts to nothing more than “I’ll just be nice to people and accept them as they are.”

A perfect example of that attitude is this bumper sticker I saw two days ago. Notice the heart and the minor brushstroke symbol of a cross? What about that image says CATHOLIC? Yet this is a Catholic Church sticker.

 

The mission statement below the graphic says:  "Our mission is mercy and love."  I wondered as I sat there at the traffic light staring at the rear end of that car, whatever happened to saving souls?  This is why I believe people have let go of truth for the sake of comfort.  Truth can be painful to a sinner.  Truth can drag us right into the greatest mental conflict of our life when it asks us to give up what we have grown to love for the sake of loving Christ more.  This was in fact what Martin Luther struggled with and in the end, his sin won out.  He went so far as to create a doctrine that would accommodate his sin and push it all off on Jesus.  His idea that it doesn’t really matter what we do, allowed him to get away with anything as long as he “believed in Jesus” as his personal savior.  (For an excellent history of Luther and a clear and concise explanation of his beliefs, read the essay written by Bishop William Adrian, published in The Wanderer in 1967.) 

St. Telemachus: The Difference One Courageous Soul Can Make!

Where Would You be in the Roman Coliseum in 404 AD?

Give us the grace, Lord, to have
the courage of St. Telemachus.

Would you be sitting in the "sky box" among the pampered and perfumed elite of Rome waiting to watch the "show" begin with excited anticipation?

Would you be in the crowd out for a day of bread and circuses to watch the "match" between the gladiators anticipating the second act when the Chrisitians faced the beasts?

Would you be among the Roman soldiers or those in charge of the animals "just doing their jobs" as they bring the prisoners into the arena and release the hungry animals?

Would you be among the Christians singing and praising God as they faced death?

Or would you be like the lone monk, Telemachus who arriving in a strange city, followed the crowd to the coliseum, and was so horrified when the gladiators began fighting that he leaped over the wall into the arena, stepped between them, and cried out three times, "In the name of Christ, forbear!" The outraged crowd stoned him to death.

Inspiration for Sunday: Use the Talents You Have!

When trials and tribulations come along you have two choices. Moan and groan about what you don't have and you've lost or work as hard as you can with what you have. The young men in the videos below are both blind and lost their sight to cancer. But look at their spirits!  I wish the stories had explored faith a little, but that's not on the media's radar screen. I'd love to know more about these families and their relationship to God. Because with God, all things are possible!