It was our pleasure to welcome Fr. Anthony Gilbert of St. George Orthodox Christian Church to speak to us on the virtue of Courage in the Christian life. His message is well worth repeating. You can read it in full below.
Trinitas Chapel Talk on COURAGE
Fr Anthony Gilbert
Good morning to you all! It’s a joy to see you this morning. The virtue of this season
is courage and so I want to speak with you this morning about courage and also
about fear. My little reflection will have two parts. In part I we’ll hear from Jesus
about courage and fear, and in part II we’ll try to apply courage practically.
There are several important places in the Gospels where Jesus responds to peoples’
fear, and shows that faith helps us find courage. In the midst of His ministry on
earth, Jesus taught His disciples and the people many things about how to live a
faithful life. Sometimes we may forget that God loves us and that He is always near
to us, watching and protecting us. But He does, and He is! Here’s how Jesus puts it:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the
ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Here’s the first lesson, then, for us: we need not fear because God loves us.
Jesus didn’t only talk about God – He also performed many miracles to show that
He was the Son of God. At one point, He even fed 5,000 men, women and children in
the wilderness. Immediately after this miracle, Jesus Christ sent His disciples in a
boat across the Sea of Galilee, planning to meet them on the other side. They didn’t
know how He was going to get across, but He did. While it was night, the disciples
were still in the boat on the water of the sea. They looked out of the boat and saw a
figure walking on the water toward them. Who was it? [Jesus!] We know that, but
they didn’t, at least at first. They were frightened. “It’s a ghost!” they thought. But
in reality, it was their Master and Lord, showing His divine power by walking
across the very waves. Water in the ancient world was often a symbol of chaos and
disorder. By walking on the water, Jesus shows us that He rules over everything.
He also speaks words of great comfort to them: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be
afraid.” There are hardly more comforting words than these, coming from the mouth
of the Lord.
Here is the second lesson: We need not fear, because God is with us.
When Jesus is preparing to go to the Cross, He speaks for a long time with the
disciples in the upper room. The disciples are feeling uncertain, and Jesus knows
they will face many difficult things in the future. So He reminds them that if they
are afraid, they have something much more powerful to rely on: His peace. He says:
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And after this, Jesus
goes to be Crucified; on the Cross, He defeats sin, death, and the devil, showing
them to be powerless. Three days later, what happens? [He rises from the dead!]
Yes, He rises from the Tomb in evidence of the victory of Life over death that He
has accomplished for us. And when He appears to the disciples again, He repeats
this gift, saying: “Peace be to you.” In Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Lord, we
have the power to resist sin, be purified of its harmful effects, and find forgiveness
and healing. He gives us that power.
So, here is the third lesson from the Gospels about faith and courage: We need not
fear because God has done all things for us.
Part II.
There are many examples of great courageous heroes engaging in battle or combat
throughout the ages. Much of what you will learn about here at Trinitas in your
Bible, history, and literature courses will provide great and various examples of
courage: from Beowulf and King Arthur to Rosa Parks and Queen Esther; from the
Prophet Daniel and King David to Jo March and Lady Eowyn.
While there are times in our lives when we will need courage to face rare and
fearsome obstacles, most of our battles are not fought physically: but spiritually. As
St Paul reminds us, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against all the hosts of darkness.” But we are
not alone in this spiritual warfare, for God is with us, and loves us, and has done all
things for us.
Our spiritual battles will require not physical strength, but the inner strength of
virtue. That is what virtue means: the strength to do what is good and right in any
situation. The poet Phoebe Cary puts it well in her poem, “Our Heroes”, which I’d
like to read one stanza from. Listen for the rhymes…:
There’s many a battle fought daily
The world knows nothing about;
There’s many a brave little soldier
Whose strength puts a legion to rout.
And he who fights sin singlehanded
Is more of a hero, I say,
Than he who leads soldiers to battle
And conquers by arms in the fray.
Which brings us to more practical considerations. I’d like you to use your
imaginations, which I think you’re pretty good at. Imagine you are standing and
talking with a group of your friends on the playground during recess. In the course
of the conversation, one person suggests that you – yes, you – do something that you
know is neither right, nor safe, and certainly not wise. Perhaps it’s not very wrong,
though, and everyone is waiting to see how you respond to the challenge. So, while
the inner voice of your conscience is already ringing the alarm bells…you’re still
deciding what you are going to do. Should I break a rule, and do something that is
wrong, if it seems to impress my friends?
While you are thinking about what to do, all of a sudden, the same person who
suggested the idea has a question for you, saying: “C’mon – what are you afraid of?”
Unfortunately, this question is a trick. “What are you afraid of?” is a question
sometimes asked in situations like this to stir up a reaction within us: to get us to
act out of fear of the wrong thing. To act out of fear of being thought fearful. None of
us wants to be called a “fraidy cat” or a “wimp” – we’d much rather be thought of as
brave. And so the temptation to give in and commit the action that we know is
wrong, rather than be thought afraid, that temptation is strong. St Augustine wrote
about this in his book Confessions, how peer pressure can lead to sin. So how can we
fight against it?
There are two simple things we can do: first, we can pray to the Lord – who is with
us, and loves us, and has done all things for us – for His help. If we ask Him to help
us, He will! Second, we can remember in such moments that it takes much more
courage to be good than to break a rule. Doing what is right is often harder than the
easy path of blame, lies, or sin. If you feel afraid to be thought of as being afraid, or
uncool, or some similar thing, then that is the fear you need to face: so bring it on!
Let others think what they may, I will put my trust in the Lord.
Courage means doing what is right – whether telling the truth, following orders,
standing up for someone, sharing what is yours – precisely when it is hard. That is,
in fact, the classical Greek philosopher Socrates’ definition of the truly just person:
the one who does what is right, even when everyone else thinks that person is a
criminal. Socrates was an unwitting prophet when he said this, for he also said if
there was ever a truly just man, He would be crucified.
And He was: Jesus, the only sinless One, was crucified – but then what happened?
[He rose from the dead!] Yes, that’s right; He turned the Cross – the most fearful
form of punishment and execution – into an instrument of Life. He showed us that
God’s love is the most powerful force in the universe. Nothing is stronger than it:
which means if we are following Him, we too can have His power, the strength of
virtue, the courage to speak truth in love, and to overcome every struggle in His
name.
So my challenge to all of you – and to myself – this morning is to be brave: ask God
for the courage to do what is right even when it is hard, to remember to call on Him
in moments of struggle, and to help others do the same. In this way, Trinitas will be
a community of courageous faith and light. So, let the adventure begin! God bless
and keep you.