Keep Pushing

Keep Pushing

May 5, 2018

Triacastla to Samos

Today was a short walk of 10km through undulating hillsides. It comprised gently rolling hills through quaint farm villages.  For strong legs and feet, it would have been no problem.  However, I am suffering from a half dollar-sized blister on the ball of my left foot.  In addition to this, my legs are plum tuckered out. On the positive end of the spectrum, Samos is famous for being one of Europe’s oldest monasteries begun in the 6^th century and developed fully during the 12^th century.  Yea, I’m a history guy, and being at a place where people gave their life to the faith 900 years before Columbus discovered America is interesting to me.

Every footstep toward Samos screamed at me in the painful reminder of the blister just behind my toes.  I took one step, a pain, another step, another pain. This was my lot for my pilgrimage here and I’m not complaining.

I arrived at a wonderful albergue just across the street from the monastery.  I was excited to see this again. While on the monastery tour we visited one of the ancient sanctuaries where mass was regularly celebrated. What I heard anew was that this chapel is dedicated to empowering virtue. Images adorned a ring around the altar. There was sacred art depicting the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Strung around this circular chapel were also the cardinal virtues of justice, temperance, prudence, and fortitude. It was this last virtue that set an alarm in my reflection today.

“Fortitude: courage in the face of pain or adversity. It requires bravery, backbone, fearlessness and endurance.” It was a gentle reminder to keep pushing through my foot pains. But our Lord would and did not leave my reflection at foot pain. There was much, much more.

I found myself immersed into the virtue of fortitude.  I want to be courageous, and I know we all want to be courageous. We start our day wanting to be courageous in what we are called to do. We want to live our faith courageously as we know we should and want to do.  Fortitude comes when we get to the tough spots in our day.  Fr. Mike Schmitz of Ascension Presents captured this wisely, “It is easy to be courageous when it’s easy to be courageous. It is hard to be courageous when it’s hard to be courageous.” Oh my, so true!

Fortitude is needed in those tense moments when I am called to make a sacrifice. It’s saying “no” to myself when it would feel so good and comfortable to say yes to my personal wants. It’s saying “no” to engaging in a conversation that is not loving when I so want to add to that witches brew of gossip and anger. It’s saying “no” to what I promised myself early in the morning that I wouldn’t do that day.

Yes, fortitude is facing our daily, moment-by-moment challenges when it would be so, so easy to just give in and try it all again another day.  Satan 1; Christian 0

I fall into this trap all too often and maybe you do too. I mean well, but I need fortitude. I need this virtue not for when I’m strong, but for when I’m weak.  We can be encouraged by 1 Peter 1:7. “Be happy about this. Your faith will endure many trials that will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold- though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So that when your faith remains strong through the many trials, it will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

So how did this scripture help? First, it comes in the first two words of the verse: “Be happy.” Not sure about you, but when the fires of trial come my way, I’m far from “happy.” Yet St. Peter makes this the first mindset in order to address trial. Why? Because what the trial will do to our faith!  It makes it pure. It makes it precious. It makes our faith something that brings glory and honor to Jesus.  For believers, these are all good reasons.

The supreme challenge is in the definition of being courageous. That is, “being courageous when it’s difficult to be courageous.”

Here is what helped me today to be courageous when it just wasn’t comfortable or easy. It came from a flashback to my strength training at a wonderful little facility back home, Medfitness. The trained strength coaches would watch me intensely to see that my form and speed was at its maximum benefit.  This facility actually recorded and diagnosed when my weights and intervals should be increased.  I would unknowingly plop myself in the machine and “work it.” I never knew that more weight and challenge was added for the day.  That was a good thing for I might have been intimidated.  I would begin this new strength challenge and the coach would watch me. They would expect and see me struggling. They were there well before I was ready to surrender and would come alongside with this encouragement, “Keep pushing. Keep pushing! Don’t stop!

This was not only the encouragement I needed for strength training, it was perfect for my spiritual training.  We’ve heard the statement, “No pain, no gain.” It’s true for purifying our faith. And, it was especially true for me today in growing in fortitude.  Two simple words inspired me, “Keep pushing.” It’s our spiritual training coach, the Holy Spirit, encouraging.

We will all face a challenge in our very near future that will demand fortitude. Everything inside will scream, “Give it up. Maybe manana. You’ve done so much already today, give it a rest.”

This is precisely the point where faith is in the refiner’s fire. I need to “Keep pushing.” I encourage you to do the same.  The fortitude we crave is gained in the pain of pushing through it. Call on the Holy Spirit to coach you through it. Keep pushing!

We can do this fortitude thing. We’ll be “happier” and more courageous for it.

Fondly, Deacon Willie