courage
Do Not Be Afraid
19 Sunday Ordinary Time – Year A
Fr. Joonbin Lim
Preached: August 9, 2026
“Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Then Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” I tried to imagine what Peter was thinking when he said this. I do not think he simply wanted to have the same power as Jesus or just wanted to walk on water.
I think Peter wanted to be close to Jesus. He believed that if Jesus was with him, even what seemed impossible could become possible. I think Peter’s heart is not very different from ours. We also want to stay close to the Lord, but strong winds often come into our lives. Those winds may be suffering, problems, and difficulties. Sometimes they may also be our own weakness or sin.
That is why we need courage in our daily lives. Even ordinary life takes courage. It takes courage to get married, raise a family, and take responsibility for others. At work, we sometimes face difficult situations with our boss or customers. Sometimes our pride is hurt, and sometimes we feel discouraged. But because we love our families, we go back to work and keep going.
A mother waiting for her baby may be afraid of the pain of childbirth, but she finds courage in the hope and joy of meeting her child.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the Greek word for “Take heart” comes from θαρσέω, tharseō. We find this word several times in the Gospels. Jesus said to the paralytic, “Courage, child.” And in the story of blind Bartimaeus, the people said, “Take courage. Get up. He is calling you.”
Courage does not mean that we have no fear. True courage means that even when we are afraid, we do not allow fear to control us.
Peter experienced this in today’s Gospel. He began to walk on the water toward Jesus, but the strong wind did not stop. When Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink.
This is also true in our lives. Following Jesus does not mean that every storm will disappear. Faith does not mean a life without suffering, failure, or fear. Strong winds will still come.
But what matters is where we turn when they come. Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
I think this is something we should never forget: the hand of the Lord. When Peter was sinking, Jesus did not leave him alone. Before anything else, Jesus reached out his hand and held him.
The same is true for us. Sometimes we suffer because of things we cannot control. Sometimes we struggle because of our own weakness or sin. At those moments, we may feel as if we are sinking. When that happens, do not remember only your failure. Remember the hand of the Lord.
When the strong winds come, when you are afraid, and when you feel that you are sinking, remember that the Lord is reaching out his hand to you “Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid.”
May we trust the hand of the Lord and have the courage to move forward again.
Courage!
7th Sunday Ordinary Time
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: February 23, 2025
What is needed to be a Catholic today? Which virtue or quality do you think is most needed to be a Catholic in the world today?
Courage!
Listen to the words of Jesus: “Love your enemies.” “do good to those who hate you” “bless those who curse you” “if anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also” This is a vision, a way of living, that is counter our usual way of seeing things. It is really hard and it requires the virtue of Courage.
This chapter of Luke’s Gospel may be the most difficult to embrace and live. It is also the gospel message of Jesus that we Christians have often chosen to ignore throughout history.
Years ago I remember someone describing how he was discussing with his mother his attempt to embrace non-violence. At a certain point he said plainly, “Essentially it’s an attempt to learn what it actually means to love my enemies.” His mother looked at him and said, “Really? That’s very hard.” It was an honest response and he realized it may have been the first time that this 80 year old woman had been in a direct conversation about the personal implications of love of enemy. Do not most of us Christians either ignore this teaching or try to explain it away?
Loving your enemies, blessing those who curse you, giving without expecting anything in return, all of this takes courage. It is not weakness, but true strength. It is not being passive, but a courageous way of living that allows us to confront evil without becoming evil.
Encountering the mystery of Christ requires us to encounter the love of enemy. But, often we are afraid of this mystery of Christ. Love of enemy is explained away, not lived. If we come to church and take part in rituals here, if we sit in the Adoration Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament, if we spend hours in prayer, but we do not explore love of enemy, then it is empty ritual. The mystery of Christ is something radical and passionate. Are we ready to face the love of enemy?
We live in a world that is battered by human beings damaging each other and the earth. Only a Christianity that embraces the mysticism of love of enemy will be able to offer something towards the healing of humanity and our world.
We sometimes say that Faith is a gift. Almost as though it is just something that some people have and others do not. But, if it is a gift, then it can be asked for. Ask for faith. Pray for it. Ask for a deep faith that enters the mystery of love of enemy. Only such a faith moves people to oppose injustice and to work against evil. Historically, we Christians have prayed, but then defended and supported wars, slavery, and all sorts of injustice. Sometimes in the name of “god.”
Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” “do good and lend, expecting nothing in return.” It is not transactional. Christian spirituality goes much deeper, it is not transactional where I only do good to get something in return. Where I am a friend only if I will get something in return. This is something shallow and does not enter the full mystery of Christ.
We must embrace non-violence. In our language, in how we treat others, in how we live. A non-violence that embraces the mystery of love of enemy is the only way to bring peace and healing to our world. But, this takes great courage. We live in a world where everyone is being encouraged to spend even more money on our militaries and weapons. We are frightened, and in fear we are told to spend on more and bigger weapons.
The love of enemy is at the heart of Christian teaching. It is perhaps the most unique teaching of Christ. Non-violence is not weakness, it is not passivity in the face of evil. Non-violence is a radical way to oppose violence and evil without becoming evil ourselves.
This is why courage is essential to embracing the mystery of Christ in love of enemy. As Merton once said, “fear is the root of all violence.” When we give in to fear, we respond with violence and attacking the other. We need the courage to resist this tendency towards violence. The courage not to be controlled by fear. We need to ask ourselves: What are my fears? Who do I fear? How is that fear leading me to violence in my language, my relationships, my way of life? Is the way I speak of certain people violent? How is fear leading me away from love?
Do you want to be a Catholic? Then you must encounter the mystery of Christ in the love of enemy. Are you ready to honestly face the love of enemy? This will take great courage. But, it is the only path to the fullness of the Christian mystery and it is the only hope for us to bring healing and peace and harmony into our world.