The Lord is the strength of his people. Three times in our short Gospel reading, Our Lord commands us not to be afraid: we are to stop being afraid of present evils and threats, we are not to be cast down by dangers that loom in the future. Fear is to sap our strength no longer. We are to have confidence in God and to to be courageous.
The example of Jeremiah in the first reading brings before us the story of the prophet who was commanded to preach the unthinkable: the fall of Jerusalem and the captivity of the king and people. To those who refused to see that law and covenant were being flouted continually, Jeremiah’s preaching was an appalling blasphemy, a denial of God’s promise to David. It appeared to be high treason in time of war: Not only did Jeremiah suffer from the hostility of priests and people, he also suffered ever increasing anguish of heart at the approach of the catastrophe that could have been averted. In spite of these pressures, Jeremiah held fast to the course to which God called him, for which God gave him strength. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked. Jeremiah was granted his life time and again.
Turning to the Gospel, we see that the disciple of Jesus has to be ready to bear witness even at the cost of his life. The persecutor can kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. God’s care extends beyond the grave. The more truly we bear witness to the resurrection of Our Lord, the more securely we can await his coming in glory. All those who reject the selfishness and greed which rule the world are likely to be
persecuted. The Lord is the strength of his people. This strength is offered us in all the celebrations of the martyrs, so frequent in this month of June: St Justin, the Uganda Martyrs, St Boniface and last week Sts John Fisher and Thomas More. Each an example of fortitude. All of them drew strength from God in the face of persecution.
One way of growing in fortitude is read the lives of the saints, and above all to the passion narratives. Fortitude is both a cardinal virtue and a gift of the Holy Spirit. As a virtue, it is shown by steadiness in the face of difficulties and perseverance in any good course of action. As a gift of the Holy Spirit fortitude completes and perfects the virtue, above all where one’s life is being threatened. We have only to think of the death of St Thomas More: he could not repress the joy in his heart: he needed help up the scaffold, but coming down, he said, I will shift for myself. And lastly: Don’t cut my beard off, it has done no treason. We monks are very much aware of the power of the Holy Spirit in awakening and sustaining us in the joy of our calling. So, too, all those who have made a lifelong commitment, especially the married, will be aware of the power of God working in their lives. Let us often call upon the Lord who is indeed the strength of his people. On Calvary we see the perfection of fortitude, and in the Eucharist our Lord grants us the grace to share in his victory.