Christian bravery...

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,for

the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

"We must unite ourselves with our Eucharistic Lord,

both inside and outside of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI said, "Kneeling before the Eucharist

is a profession of freedom: those who bow to Jesus cannot and must not

prostrate themselves before any earthly authority..."

My gloss on Benedict is this:  If we stand at the altar of the Lord with incense,

we are less likely to offer a pinch of incense on the altar of Caesar

- the idol of tyranny.  Or the altar of Mammon - the idol of riches. 

Or the altar of Baal - the idol demanding the blood of children.  Or the altar

of public opinion - the idol that makes promises it cannot keep.

Prayer, Penance, Eucharist: taken together they are the

foundation upon which the virtue of a truly Christian bravery can grow. 

They will allow us to answer the summons of Sacred Scripture:

"Let the weak say, 'I am a warrior'!" Joel 3:10

Fr Robert McTeigue, SJ