Reflection
Life requires courage. There are times when we confront a difficult, frightening, painful or disturbing experience, one in which we are challenged or pushed to the limit. In these times we feel threatened and vulnerable. Then, we either find the courage to face and defeat fear or face being defeated by it. When our first instinctive reaction is to flee, courage is the strength or resolve to meet the frightening situation head on. For, courage is not the absence of fear, but the strength to move ahead despite fear. The courage that sustains us comes from within. It is built on our daily experiences and our belief that life is worthwhile and ultimately things work into the good.
Prayer
The Lord is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
Action
Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition. Take a stand for some strongly held moral principle or spiritual value despite the personal price or public opinion.
Suggested Reading
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for your God goes with you; God will never leave you nor forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.
Pope Francis
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.
Eleanor Roosevelt
It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.
J. K. Rowling
Courage is being scared to death… and saddling up anyway.
John Wayne
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
Vincent Van Gogh
The opposite for courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.
Jim Hightower
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.
Mary Anne Radmacher
The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy.
John F. Kennedy