Thought of the Day July 21, 2020 Courage in temptation
"For most of us, the gift of fortitude is exercised in our
patient pursuit of holiness in the circumstances of our daily lives....In our
lives we frequently experience fragility, our limitations and shortcomings;
however with the gift of fortitude, the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome weakness,
so that we are able to respond to the love of the Lord....By the gift of
fortitude the Holy Spirit enables us to remain faithful amid every difficulty
and – as the experience of so many Christians around the world shows – even
amid persecution and martyrdom, but this is only possible by the action of the
Holy Spirit that infuses fortitude and trust....In our everyday lives the Holy
Spirit also makes us feel the closeness of the Lord, sustains us and fortifies
in the fatigues and trials of life, so that we won't be led into the temptation
of discouragement. But for all of this to be a reality, it is necessary that
humility of heart be united to the gift of fortitude.” (May 14, 2018)
We have natural courage which helps us to deal with the natural circumstances of life, like scaling a difficult cliff.. But God gives us the spiritual gift of fortitude at the time of our baptism to help us grow spiritually in our relationship to God. It is this grace of courage that helps us to overcome temptations, which seek to lead us into sin. For this we need to thank God. On our own we are weak but with his grace and strength we are strong. In humility we acknowledge this.
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