September 1, 2002

More than anything, the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz needed courage. We Christians, too, need courage to face whatever "CROSSES" lie ahead of us, but, like the lion and like Peter, we have a cowardly streak. In today's readings, Jeremiah and Jesus show us that following the Lord takes real courage.

The cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz puts all his hopes in the wizard to help him find the courage he lacked. And, the lion did, indeed, find the courage to risk his life for Dorothy in the wicked witch's castle. Are we so different from that cowardly lion? Are we afraid to risk our lives, our reputations or even our little comforts for the things we believe in?

And yet, what choice do we really have? Like Jeremiah and Jesus, we sometimes feel that the Lord is urging us to do things we would rather avoid. We are torn between playing it safe and following the Lord. To deny oneself, and take up one's cross and follow Jesus means more than merely accepting one's lot in life. It means finding the courage to say and do what God is urging us to do in spite of our fears and the trouble it may cause for us.

When Paul urges us not to be conformed to our age, but to be transformed to the will of God, he sounds somewhat like the Mahatma Gandhi who wrote, "He who is ever brooding over results often loses nerve in the performance of duty." We are not to focus on the "crosses" that may lie ahead, but on our duty to follow Jesus. We can only find such courage not by trusting in some fake wizard, but in the Lord whom we follow.

SO THE QUESTION: WHEN HAVE YOU SPOKEN OR ACTED COURAGEOUSLY? HOW DID IT FEEL? WHAT PRICE DID YOU HAVE TO PAY?

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