Ave Maria Meditations
| Speaking out when necessary, with charity and fortitude and avoiding the silence of consent.Jesus does not always remain silent. For there is a silence which can collaborate with lying, a silence which can cooperate with cowardice, a silence which springs from the love of comfort and the fear of complicating one’s life. You can close your eyes to what is disagreeable. You can put off making a fraternal correction that ought to be made at home or at work. These are forms of silence too.
The word of Jesus is full of authority as He faces injustice and abuse: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses and for a pretence you make long prayers … Saint John the Baptist was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He teaches us to say everything that must be said, even though it may seem as if we too are crying in the wilderness. Our Lord will not allow our words to be wasted. It is important that we say what has to be said, without worrying ourselves about the immediate consequences. If each Christian were to speak in conformity with the Faith, we would surely change the world. We cannot sit by silently in the face of such crimes as abortion and the degradation of marriage and the family. Nor can we surrender to those forces that would seek to remove God from the formation of the young. We cannot be silent at attacks upon the Pope and Our Lady, or upon institutions of the Church. To be silent when we should be speaking out can be a way of collaborating with evil, because others may think that our silence implies consent. If Catholics were to speak out when there is need, if they were to boycott anti-Catholic publications or literature, it would be more difficult for these enterprises to prosper. We should speak out when necessary. At times, the occasion will be when we are with a little group of our friends, coming or going to school or work. In letters to the editor, we can write in praise of a good article or to criticize a bad one. We should always act with charity. It is worthwhile to remember that true charity goes hand in hand with fortitude. We need to exercize good manners, always working with the intention of bringing souls to Jesus Christ. Yet we should act at the same time with the fortitude of the Lord. Fr. Francis Fernandez (In Conversation with God) |
Wow! This gives me such encouragement for something I’m trying to do right now. It should also give Fr. Angelo encouragement as he fights for the truth on JPII’s teaching of TOB. Thanks as always.