Thought of the Day July 21, 2020 Courage in temptation

By 11:34 AM



This is what Pope Francis has taught on the gift of fortitude:

"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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