By Judie Brown
For Catholics, the sacrament of confirmation is a wonderful source of the increase and deepening of the graces we receive at baptism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that confirmation “unites us more firmly to Christ,” “increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us,” and “renders our bond with the Church more perfect.” As we read in the Book of Wisdom, “Virtues are the fruit of her labors, since it is she who teaches temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude; nothing in life is more useful for human beings.”
To my mind, this is why the wonderful, dearly departed Father John Harvey, OSFS, called his ministry Courage. He wanted to impart, from the first encounter he had with someone suffering from a sexual identity crisis, the message that through Christ and His love, all manner of sexual challenges could be conquered and one could overcome the desire to live an unchaste life. He wrote:
As one learns to pray with the heart by daily meditation, though, one finds it easier to resist lust. Notice I did not say easy, but easier. The regular habit of mental prayer strengthens the motives for chastity, gradually purifying the heart and leading the individual to see chastity as another form of love of God. One may say that prayer of the heart leads to chastity of the heart, to a personal love of Jesus Christ. At this point in one’s spiritual development, one seeks friends who also are chaste out of love for Christ. Such friendships help to preserve the chastity of the two friends or of the group of friends.
In other words, the closer one grows to Christ, the easier it is to resist temptation of any kind. And it is this spiritual courage that injects strength of will into each of us in our journey to fend off evil and embrace what is good.
This is true on so many levels in our struggles to defend truth, whether we are talking about Archbishop Samuel Aquila, who courageously led a Eucharistic procession around a Planned Parenthood facility last year, or Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire ministry that produced a remarkable explanation by Dr. Chad Engelland on understanding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Bishops and priests across our nation are exhibiting courage in the face of opposition every single day, and for that we are eternally grateful. They are perfect examples of men of God who understand these words of Saint Augustine: “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”
We are so grateful for these examples of courage and strength in men of God who inspire us to move into the battlefield of our day, defend the innocent, expose the menace of contraception, and unfold the many layers of detestable self-love that lead to killing the young and the old. When a nation is as steeped in evil as ours is these days, we need reminders that fighting for life is not for the weak of heart.
As we commit to doing our best in this struggle, I can almost hear Thomas à Kempis reminding us of the prayer that is always before us and that is hopefully on our lips: Lord, “Left to myself, I am nothing but total weakness. But if You look upon me for an instant, I am at once made strong and filled with new joy. Great wonder it is that I, who of my own weight always sink to the depths, am so suddenly lifted up, and so graciously embraced by You” (Imitation of Christ, Book 3, Chapter 8).
In that embrace, each of us finds the courage we need to carry on, taking one step at a time. When we feel overwhelmed, just remember Father Harvey and be inspired. Courage is not only a gift of the Holy Spirit, it is a way of life.