Reflection on Mission: Courageous Hearts
By Melanie Guste, RSCJ
Courage and confidence! I cannot repeat this war-cry too often.
We should make it our support in our life of conflict.
— Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat
Lately, we are increasingly being invited to “take a stand,” “give voice,” and “show-up” in settings that may be a bit outside of the well-worn paths of daily life. Summoning one’s courage for “truth-telling,” demonstrating it in a letter to a Congressperson (who may be a personal acquaintance), having an honest conversation with a family member about justice-related issues and related policy, attending a prayer vigil with a large number of people in a public square are just a few of the ways in which we are navigating the moral and ethical challenges of these times. As we each wrestle with the question related to “How do I respond?” and our decisions, it is important to hover over the deeper invitations embedded in any possible choice.
I remember a dark stormy night while traveling by ferry on the South China Sea. Not considering the physical risks and psychological impacts of my visit to the South Philippine Islands, I encountered quite the existential crisis while aboard that ferry: “What am I doing here?!” Alone and quietly “staying put,” I found the “ground of my being” on those choppy waters. I think this might be something like what courage feels like: rising up, centered, grounded, open, available to what happens next, whatever it might bring.
As the invitations of courage occur almost every day, it is interesting to ponder the ways they continue to beckon. At times, “courage” means speaking up. At times, it means keeping silent. At other times, it means standing up, and at other times, like for Rosa Parks, it means keeping your seat. At times, it means taking an action, not avoiding one. And, at other times, it means asking questions. As it did that night on the South China Sea, courage can mean surrendering to the unknown and turning toward the future without answers.
Saint Madeleine Sophie considered “courage” the mantra of the Society, with “confidence,” its cousin. She knew that we would need both on our journey.
Questions for Reflection
- What does courage look like to you?
- Where does it “show-up” as invitation in your life today?