The Holy Spirit's gift of courage

Good News Reflection Tuesday of the 9th week in Ordinary Time March 8, 2011 Today's Saint: John of God Pray for the sick, addicted, and dying: http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/JohnofGod.htm Today’s Readings: Tobit 2:9-14 Ps 112:1-2, 7-9 Mark 12:13-17 http://www.usccb.org/nab/030811.shtml USCCB Podcast of the Readings: http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/11_03_08.mp3 The Holy Spirit's gift of courage Have you ever been tripped or trapped by a challenging question? How did you feel? How do you think Jesus felt when it happened to him? Assuredly, he took it much more calmly than you or I do. Why is that? In today's Gospel passage, Jesus responds to a trap laid by Pharisees and Herodians. His confidence comes from knowing that the Holy Spirit always provides the right words and the perfect wisdom. You and I have been given the same Spirit. What do you need from the Holy Spirit so that you can serve God's kingdom courageously? Whatever it is, God's Spirit is reliable and will make everything available to you exactly when you need it. If you don't seem to have it now, it's because you don't need it yet. Courage comes from trust. Although it might feel like you don't have what it takes to stand up to trouble and become victorious, that's only because you're moving beyond your comfort zone. If the situation were IN your comfort zone, you wouldn't need courage. Trusting God means taking bold, scary steps into the unfamiliar. One year on Pentecost, I asked for the Holy Spirit's boldness to speak up against injustices that I sometimes witness within our beloved Church. Normally, if speaking up is politically incorrect, if it's socially unacceptable, if it strays from the expectations of what "should" happen in church, if it's outside the comfort zone of the rules of "normalcy", or if it could result in a reprimand or disapproval, my heart races, my knees tremble, and I keep my mouth shut. God readily gives us opportunities for doing what we hope to learn. Shortly after asking for boldness, I found myself facing the need to ask a priest to delay Mass. An accident on the street was keeping many people from reaching church on time. I made the decision to let my concern for these people outweigh my fears. This might not seem like a big deal to some of my readers, but for many Americans, starting Mass on time and ending on time (or ending early) is a big deal. And for Catholic Americans, disagreeing with a priest is an even bigger deal. The priest replied that Mass must always start on time. To my surprise, I looked him in the eye and, with my voice full of compassion, said: "For the sake of the people who want to be here on time but cannot, please wait just a few minutes!" The priest's reply? "Okay." That happened a long time ago. Since then, I have experienced that same Spirit-filled confidence every time God wants me to stand up to injustices, which always involves stepping away from what's normal and expected and socially "proper". However, to receive this gift from the Holy Spirit, I have to be willing to feel uncomfortable. What's the gift you're asking for? He's ready to provide it! Now ask the Holy Spirit to show you what comfort zone you must step away from so that you can experience this gift. Lent begins tomorrow. Would you like to receive short daily messages, prayers, and ideas for deepening your journey to Easter? Subscribe NOW to our special Lenten e-mailings called "Lenten Explorations: Personal purification that helps heal the world". As we turn away from sin and draw closer to the life-giving Spirit of Christ, this Lenten season can be a time of inner transformation that empowers us to bring Christ's kingdom more fully to earth by taking action against global injustices within our normal, everyday lives. © 2011 by Terry A. Modica This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission. You may print one copy for your own personal use. For PERMISSION and info on how to copy this reflection for sharing, see: http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm Seeking a past reflection? Click this button to register for the searchable Archive Library of the Good News Reflections. One week access is free to subscribers of these emailed reflections.

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