The Blessed Virgin made her obedience bigger than her fear.
I am not a very courageous person.
I am weak and have always been weak.
But when I was a little girl, being the eldest child in my family, I became quite accustomed to leading the way and moving forward even when I was afraid.
And I guess because I became accustomed to this feeling of discomfort and fear, the people around me began to think that I was in fact a brave and courageous person, when in fact I am often quite terrified.
So, I have been thinking about courage today. You see, courage is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I have been thinking about what exactly courage is and how it presents in my life.
You see, of myself I am nothing. On my own I am afraid of everything, but with God – with the Prince of Peace, I am able to be brave. And this is not because of anything remarkable about me – this is because of what is remarkable about HIM… When I rely on God to help me, I can do ALL THINGS and I have nothing to be afraid of. It is only when I try to rely on my own powers and my own strength that I have the potential to fail…
Saint Josemaria wrote in “The Way” at 483, “Courage! You... can! Don't you see what God's grace did with sleepy-headed Peter, the coward who had denied Him..., and with Paul, His fierce and relentless persecutor?”
And I have been reflecting on that. You see, the Blessed Virgin was the most courageous soul ever created. Obviously God Himself is perfect courage, as He is the GIVER OF COURAGE, but the Blessed Virgin, being the perfect Handmaid of the Lord, is also perfectly courageous. And what does that mean? How did that present itself in the world?
Well, simply, it presented as the WILLINGNESS of the Blessed Virgin to follow the Holy Will of God no matter what. She was not thinking that she needed a back up or needed to be afraid. She was not thinking that she was unable to go through with all the steps required of her to please God Himself. Rather she completed entrusted herself to Him and this gave her the strength to have courage to do whatever He required.
And that meant that she simply made her obedience bigger than her fear. And in that way she was unafraid.
And I have been thinking about this today as I consider the ways that I must try to be brave and live courageously, it occurs to me that I have a duty to use the courage that I have been gifted with. Because even though I am so often afraid, it is that courage that has carried me onwards in my life.
And perhaps when others see me doing something brave, they will remember that it is not really me at all. It is God Himself who does these things and that is why I have nothing to fear…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
Comments