The Gift of Courage 

The gift of Strength, or Courage, is the Gift of the Holy Spirit that strengthens our wills to do what is difficult or dangerous. In ordinary situations, Piety or Family Spirit is enough to motivate the good we do. Mothers enjoy taking care of their children; fathers enjoy playing with them. But when the baby cries all night, or work has put parents under stress, they ask God for strength. And it is there. It is a Gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Ordinarily, Piety keeps us interacting as we should with God. Gratitude and respect for our Father, loyalty to Jesus, and faithfulness to the Holy Spirit move us to pray, participate in Mass, and live up to our job description day by day as prophets, priests, and stewards of the kingship of Christ. But when prayer is endlessly dry and Mass depressingly dead; when we feel no devotion, or even positive repugnance in dealing with God, because we are experiencing the normal rotation of “consolation-desolation” in our spiritual life; or when the witness of our lifestyle is a threat to others—and therefore a danger to us—we have special need of Courage. Working for change as “stewards of the kingship of Christ” is discouraging. And it can be dangerous, even life-threatening.  

But when we persevere, we know we are living the divine Life of God. Nothing but the Gift of the Holy Spirit can explain it.  

To use the Gift of Courage: Ask God’s help. Then act as if you have it.  

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings on the USCCB website here

Easter season is the time to focus on the Holy Spirit. Starting on Easter Sunday, we will look carefully at how the Spirit is proclaimed, invoked, and presented to us in the Mass. Lex orandi, lex credendi: “As the Church prays, so she believes.”

After that, we will reflect on the Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Galatians 5:22), and at how the Spirit enters the life of those who believe.

As you read these reflections, ask for the gift of Understanding. Ask to really understand what you believe, what you see and hear at Mass. Go deeper into understanding the Mass than you ever have before. We experience the Faith when we become aware of its mystery. We hope you reflect deeply on the Mass and Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself more and more drawn into the mysteries of our Lord in the Mass and in His Gifts.