Recently, I listened to one of Bishop Robert Barron’s homilies on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Each morning, I pray to the Spirit and ask for his gift of the day using the prayer card we have distributed at church. Wednesday is Fortitude, and I thought I had a good understanding of its definition, but Barron’s teaching on this gift takes us deeper into why Fortitude is essential for disciples of Christ.
He explains, “In this world doing the right thing will always be difficult. To do the right thing in this fallen world, this fallen conflictual world, will always cost. It’ll always involve something like struggle. Someone’s going to stand to thwart you, trust me. And the more you walk the path of the Lord, the more you should expect that opposition. And therefore, everyone that tries to live according to God’s will needs the gift of courage, of fortitude. It is a strengthening sacrament, and fortitude is the courage we need to walk the path of the Lord.”
I had internalized fortitude to be more like endurance. It is probably that too, but I hadn’t thought of it as courage. This definition should refine our view on the expectations and responsibilities of ourselves as Christians. We are not just called to endure our lives in this broken world, staying “good enough” to make it into purgatory enroute to heaven. We are called to be heroic, to follow Christ, not just when things are easy, but when we encounter opposition – especially when we experience opposition.
We all suffer temptations to take the easy paths or sit on the fence watching others take risks, but heroes do not avoid challenges, and we all have the capacity to be heroic. Heroes use their superpowers to support their desire to do good. Fortitude is our superpower and the courage it provides supports us in all that God calls us to do, whether it be health or family issues, defending our faith, or just proudly saying Grace publicly in restaurants. As Bishop Barron says, doing the right thing will always cost – but like anything of value, it can bring the greatest satisfaction and reward too.
Scripture: This week, read Joshua 1:9. What is it saying to you?
Call to Action: Pray daily for the gift of Fortitude and watch for opportunities for God’s prompting to use it.
