Standing with the Courage of Faith

Prayer-Soldier

Standing with the Courage of Faith

Scriptures:

The Lord God has opened my ear, and I do not resist: I have not gone back. I have given my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that plucked them: I have not turned away my face from them that rebuked me, and spit upon me. The Lord God is my helper, therefore am I not confounded: therefore have I set my face as a most hard rock, and I know that I shall not be confounded. He is near that justifies me, who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold the Lord God is my helper: who is he that shall condemn me? (Isaiah 50:5-9a)

What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he has faith, but has not works? Shall faith be able to save him? And if a brother or sister be naked and want daily food: And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit? So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without works; and I will show you, by works, my faith. ( James 2:14-18 )

And Jesus went out, and his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And in the way, he asked his disciples, saying to them: Whom do men say that I am? Who answered him, saying: John the Baptist; but some Elias, and others as one of the prophets. Then he said to them: But whom do you say that I am? Peter answering said to him: You are the Christ. And he strictly charged them that they should not tell any man of him.

And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the ancients and by the high priests and the scribes: and be killed and after three days rise again. And he spoke the word openly. And Peter taking him began to rebuke him. Who turning about and seeing his disciples, threatened Peter, saying: Go behind me, Satan, because you savor not the things that are of God but that are of men. And calling the multitude together with his disciples, he said to them: If any man will follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel shall save it. (Mark 8:27-35)

Reflection:

It has been the way through the generations that because of the failings and conflicts among the people, some must stand and sacrifice for the blessings and care of others. Blessed are those who have stood to the challenge of evil, for He will bless their courage. No matter the tribulation, He stands with the just, He strengthens them with courage to withstand the sacrifice; a special place in heaven He holds for them.

As He gave us the commandments to love, He called us to participate in His creation. He called us to love Him with all our heart, all our mind and all our soul and He called us to love one another as we would love ourselves. Jesus told us that all the law and the prophets depend upon these commandments. (Matthew 22:40) We cannot claim to believe in His Word if we do not act in the way which it guides us. We cannot pray for His forgiveness if we are not willing to forgive others. We cannot pray for His help if we are not willing to help others. The blessings we expect we must also be willing to give. If we are to believe Him who calls us to selflessness, then, we must respond with love in all that we do. (1 Corinthians 16:14)

He held to account the Pharisees who boasted in their faith, but acted in ways different from their words. He came to expose the misguided paths of people and to light the path to heaven. He called those who sought to follow Him to set aside their desires and set themselves to the mission of caring for others.

He did not come to lead us only with words, but came to us as the Word and the full example of the Word. He offered compassion and healing to those in need. He fed the hungry and held to account those who serve self before others. He stood before those who persecuted Him and for the salvation of all, He offered His life in sacrifice. He suffered death so that death could be vanquished.

He came not to praise the culture of men, but to reveal how people had twisted the law for their own agendas and the purposes of evil. And so it has been through the generations that people have sought to rationalize their selfishness.

As it was then, it is today, evil seeks to twists thoughts, to blind the people into believing that what is wrong is somehow alright. It is through these means that we lose sight of the sanctity of life. It is through these means that a child is never allowed to nestle within its mother or within her arms. It is through these means that mothers are deceived into giving over the lives of their children while the child is still within the womb. It is through these means that we act in selfishness. It is through these means we are willing to allow harm to another. It is through these means we are willing bear false witness about what we do not know and twist the truth into deception. It is through these means we are willing to take from another what does not belong to us. It is through these means we are lured to hate rather than love. It is through these means we are led to do harm to ourselves.

The ways of evil use the illusion of pleasure and vanity to lure the faithful, but in the end, it only leads to the path of misery and strife. All the conflicts of people, tribes and nations are rooted in the deceptions of evil and that which blinds us to the call of our Lord. As He stood in the face of evil, so too, does He call us. Those who persecute others will prevail on the behalf of evil only if the faithful do not stand up for truth with courage. Though the blinded crowds may form in violence and the corrupt may rob the innocent, whatever is taken from the faithful in this world will not matter for the faithful will be invited to His house while the evil will be left to wail and gnash their teeth in the darkness.

As the Son of the Father, He knew all which was to come and the trial which lay before Him. He knew that His sacrifice would have no meaning if He did not accept the cup given to Him; and so, through His love for all the children of His creation, He suffered, died, and was buried in fulfillment of the scriptures. On the third day, He rose to vanquish death and restore the hope of life to those burdened with sin. He rose so that those who believed in Him, as the Word made flesh, might be forgiven of all sin so that their souls may be purified and made ready for the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who walk in faith, for no matter the trial which is presented before them, He will be there to give them strength and courage to endure. No cross will be given too heavy to bear, for in the end, it will be His love which sustains us.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier