"Nunc Coepi: Season of Discouragement" | 4th Sunday of Easter (Fr. Mike's Homily) #sundayhomily

so I was thinking about this question the question of uh who is the most courageous person that you know like just that in that sense of like I think a lot of times when we think of like okay who's the the most courageous person that you know it's it's typically someone you think of like someone who puts their life on the line right someone who's like a firefighter or a police officer someone who's a soldier someone who goes into battle um someone who might be facing some significant illness and does that with this incredible bravery that could be the most courageous person we know someone who stands for the truth or stands against Injustice um I think that sometimes if if ask the question who's the most courageous person you know it makes sense that we automatically think of big things like we automat our minds automatically turn to like you know Saints and heroes in fact even when I was pondering the question most courageous person I know or most cous person I've heard of I thought of a saint who was a hero uh you probably know St Jonah Arc right so St Jonah Arc her her story is you know she lives she's young and courageous military leader that during the Hundred Years War uh she was I think 14 when she had this first vision and this Vision called her to do this work uh that she believed that God had commissioned her to convince the Doan to become the king of France and to yeah to Reign and so basically she started acting on what she believed God was calling her to do at one point people were skeptical which kind of makes sense and so they tested it one of the ways they tested whether this was real or not is when Joan was 17 they sent her to to the Battle of oron which had been going on for months and months and months this impass and no one was winning no one was losing it was just this constant battle and and um a stalemate within days of her arriving and leading these troops day one and so it was kind of well maybe this validates that maybe she has been sent by God to do this kind of thing now ultimately if you know anything about Jones's story is I think by the time she was 19 years old she was captured and she was tried in a very unjust civil and church court by unjust civil and church authorities and declared guilty and burned at the stake 20 years later though she was given a real trial after her death 20 years after her death and she was Vindicated she was declared innocent and her life even though it's short is is not only tragic but also is courageous and I'm been thinking about like what is it about Joan's life that's so courageous and not just because of what she did on the battlefield but if you read the de details of her life there were so many obstacles there are so many things that had to get done that were bigger than her there were so many things that got in her way there was so much potential for discouragement and yet Joan never gave into discouragement that this whole second half of her life almost was what you might call a season of discouragement and yet in the midst of discouragement Joan chose two things she chose humility and she chose hope and just bring that up bring up that that notion of like the question of who is the most courageous person the most courageous people people who in seasons of discouragement they choose to and they choose hope because here we are we're on campus and this is a season where um as we mentioned last week this is the season at it's the end of it's the end of the semester and at the end of every semester the truth is revealed right the truth of like how did I do this semester is revealed whether it's like no I stayed on top of my studies or I did not stay on top of my studies I mean the deadlines are all happening this week and next week for all of our students and so there's a reason they call them deadlines is because it's just like that is it's death it's that's what it feels like because there's so much to do and so little time to do it everything is due and again the truth is so fully revealed of whether I'm prepared or unprepared whether I did this well or didn't do this well this can be for many students a season of discouragement or even it's one of those Seasons where it's like I have the semester I have everything left to do like there's so many things I don't even I don't even know where to start do have some students who are like no I've done that before this is not my first finals week this is not my first end of a semester but it's their last one and there can be this season of discouragement because it's like I have no idea what comes next I I have no like life like all all through school it was no I I'll come back next fall I know exactly what's going to happen I'm going to have a summer and then I'll come back and more school and now there's this uncertainty and in the midst of uncertainty one of the things that can happen is it can become a season of discouragement and again this isn't just for students this is life especially when life feels like too much for any one of us oh there's too many obstacles or there's too many things to do and there or there's just too much that's unknown whenever we're faced with uncertainty we're faced with fear we're faced with failure we're faced with this potential for a season of discouragement which is why last week we started the series the series is based off of this two-word Latin phrase a three-word English phrase by a man name man named Bruno lanter and that Latin phrase is Nuki in Nuki is simply in English it means now I begin and so remember Bruno lant's quote last week was he said if I were to fall even a thousand times he said I will not lose courage I will not be troubled but I will always say immediately with peaceful repentance n now I begin if I were to fall a thousand times I will not lose courage and I will not be troubled in a season of discouragement is really easy to lose courage and what is it to to lose courage what is it to be discouraged I mean the word courage even you know the most courageous person the word courage comes from the Latin word core Co R which means heart to lose courage is to lose heart to be discouraged is to lose heart and whenever I think of that that phase to lose heart I always think of there's a movie came out in the 90s called Brave heart you guys heard of Brave heart you have you ever seen braveart okay yes and no so so um raart is a story I don't know how much of it is historically accurate but here's the story of a man man named name William Wallace and William Wallace in the in the movie in the story is like the epitome of virtue he's the epitome of of of honesty he's epitomy of of nobility he's just he speaks and lives the truth so so clearly and there's this other man there's a number of characters but this other man named Robert the 16th Earl of Bruce and Robert the Bruce he's just he's a politician he's a son of politicians he's the 16th Earl of Bruce and basically William Wallace sees in Robert the Bruce the potential to unite the Clans right he he sees in Robert the Bruce the potential to you could actually be the one he say I I'm just William Wallace I'm just some guy but you are Robert the 16th Earl of Bruce and there's something in you that William Wallace sees and says I believe in you I trust you at a critical moment in the movie don't don't mean to give everything away but it's like a thousand years old critical moment of the movie Robert the Bruce betrays William Wallace and they're on this on this on this battlefield in faler I believe this battlefield and and there's a moment in the movie where William Wallace the men around him are dying because they've been betrayed by Robert the Bruce and he's about to be captured and almost killed and he sees that this man's eyes he sees Robert the Bruce's eyes and realizes you're the one you're the one who I trusted and now all of these my friends my family everyone near me is dying now because of you and this this this this convicts Robert the Bruce right right so so after this moment he has a choice and the choice is he could either say yep that's how it goes I'm a politician you know what you make deals with whoever you make deals with you make alliances with whoever you make alliances with or he could actually say it's time to change so there's this scene after this where Robert the Bruce he's talking to his father now his father's been pulling the strings behind the scenes for this because his father has this skin disease he's about to die so he's like I'm handing the Baton to my son Robert the Bruce and Robert he's saying his father says Robert this is the deal you've done this you've made this agreement and now you're going to have lands you're going to have titles you're going to have everything you want you're going to you're going to be the king and Robert the Bruce says lands titles nothing means nothing and his father says what do you mean nothing and he says men fight for me because if they do not I kick them off my lands and I starve their wives and children but men fight for William Wallace Because he believes and he has something something and I took it from him he says I took it from him and I saw it on his face in the battlefield and I betrayed him and his father in this moment see here is Robert the Bruce's chance he can either stay in the dark he can stay in this discouragement or he can step into the truth he can step into humility and hope and his father even tries to tries to get him to stay in the dark his father says listen all men betray all men lose heart and this is the moment where Robert the Bruce erupts and he makes his decision to not stay in the season of discouragement but to choose humility and to choose hope and he erupts and he says I don't want to lose heart I want to believe like Robert like like William Wallace and he makes the decision I will never be on the wrong side again this is this is the two steps right the two step of humility and hope the first step of humility is I'm going to acknowledge the truth I'm going to step into the light and the second step of Hope is I'm going to do something about it this is for every one of us if you find yourself in a spe in a season of discouragement the two steps are humility I'm going to step into the truth I'm going to walk in the truth I'm going to live in the truth and the second step of Hope is I'm going to do something about it this is so key for every one of us because humility especially humility is to come to the truth that having fallen is not final humility is is is to say okay I realize that I failed but I'm not going to hide the recipe for discouragement is to realize the truth and then to ignore it the recipe for discouragement is to realize the truth and then to hide from it that's why I love in the first reading today here's Peter and John and they're preaching to the Jews in Acts chapter 4 and they basically they're bold in fact the rest of Acts chapter 4 says that they saw Peter and John and saw how boldly they proclaimed the name of Jesus but they're proclaiming this truth and Peter says he says says here's Jesus he was the stone rejected by you he's telling them the truth and they have the opportunity he's the stone rejected by you rejected by you and he is the name he's the one through which all people will be saved there's no other name given to human beings but which Humanity will be saved that's that's the truth and every person listening to that has the opportunity I can either ignore that truth I can hide from that truth I can deny that truth I can run away from that truth or I can accept that truth and I can live in that truth and this is the same thing is true for all of us the truth is that by my sins I have rejected the only one who's ever really loved me the truth is that by my sins I have actually made myself an enemy of God himself and I can either hide from that truth and run from that truth and live in a spirit of discouragement and a season of discouragement that will last my entire life life or I can step into that truth and I can do something about it but here's the important thing I need to have the whole truth I think too often too often we hear the gospel we only hear half truth the half truth is like oh no because of my sins here is Jesus who died or as je as Peter is proclaiming to these Jews in Acts chapter 4 you rejected the stone but Peter tells the whole truth and we need to know the whole truth the whole truth is this I have failed I have sinned I betrayed and he loves me that I failed and and he wants to reconcile me I have betrayed and he wants to restore me this is this is the thing that every one of us we need to if we're truly going to be humble for truly going to live the truth we need to be convicted of this double truth this double conviction first I'm convicted by my sins and secondly I'm convinced of his love for me every one of us needs this I mean for crying out loud here's Peter who's courageous in this day why he's courageous in this day because he's experienced that himself he's gracious because remember we all know the story we all know the story that at the moment when Jesus needed Peter the most what happens he denies knowing him imagine imagine that moment when the crows and Peter looks up and he sees Jesus across the way looking straight at him that's the moment that Peter knew like I didn't just break a rule I didn't break a law I didn't break a commandment I I broke my best friend's heart Jesus trusted in me and I betrayed him and I saw it in his eyes that's the truth the whole truth is a number of days later after Jesus rose from the dead Peter with a couple of the people are fishing on the Sea of Galilee and on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is Jesus once again and as they get to Shore and they're sitting across from each other over a charcoal fire Jesus with those same eyes looks at Peter and he asks him Simon son of John do you love me and Peter has a choice he was convicted by his sin I saw it in his eyes when I betrayed him will he tell the whole truth and live the whole truth and be convinced of his love and what he say he says yes Lord you know I love you and Jesus says what he says then feed my sheep this is so important for every one of us because unless we're going to actually enter into humility like truly enter into the truth that I'm convicted by my sin but I'm also convinced of his love for me in the midst of my sin we will never ever be able to escape discourage ment and this is what this is what happens for every one of us when Jesus knows us then we don't have to be afraid we don't have to be afraid to come to him and that's the trth that's what the gospel says right here's here is the Gospel of John today and here is Jesus who says I'm the Good Shepherd I'll lay down my life for my sheep but he goes on to say these words that just are so powerful he says and I know mine and mine know me what's that mean what does it mean for Jesus to say I I know you I think it means a lot of things but one of the things it means is that he's not surprised by your weakness one of the things it means when Jesus says no I I know you is he's he's not shocked when you've fallen or failed I think often times we are though I think when we encounter our weakness we get discouraged because we're surprised there's a man whose name is God kitin of bergamon he said it like this he said he said those who are humble right the one who steps in the truth he says he was humble even though he failed through filty Frailty soon repents with sorrow and implores the Divine assistance to help an amend he goes on to say nor is he astonished at having fallen because he knows that of himself he's only capable of evil and do would do far worse if God did not protect him with his grace think about how often we are discouraged because we're surprised at our weakness the kitin says no you're not astonished at having at having fallen The Humble person the one who who tells the truth isn't astonished she goes on to say however upright we might be we must never be scandalized or amazed at the conduct of others or consider ourselves better than them because we do not know what is or ordained for them or for us in the Supreme disposition of God a mark of humility is that willingness to I'm not going to be shocked at my weakness I'm not going to be surprised when I fail a mark of humility is I'll never be discouraged and I know that's hard that's really hard actually uh uh I was I was debating whether I was going to say this or not but I'll say it um so last Sunday night um in the midst of mass I just I I had this like Spirit of discouragement that just like really attacked me that's what it felt like that's what it felt like it was just this one of these things where I was like I was preaching I was doing maass and stuff and I just felt like okay I'm not being clear I feel like I'm yelling at everybody like I just I I was just like it feels like um all this like everything I wanted all the students to hear that night it's just like nothing is resonating nothing's landing and I'm just completely bombing I'm completely failing and it was one of those situations where like even during mass I'm like I just want this to be over like I want to pray I want to just get to the end of mass and I want to sneak out the side I don't want to say hi to anyone I don't want to greet anyone I don't want to talk to anyone I just want to go hide and like all night all night that even the next day it's only kind of shaking off a little bit now this Spirit of just this discouragement and sadness and I realize this this this truth that Kaji burgo points out that the painful truth is that it's not sin that leads us to discouragement I mean it's not in the midst of all your work it's not all the stuff you need to do that leads to discouragement it's not failure that leads to discouragement it's it's not it's Pride If you experience discouragement it's actually all just comes from Pride it comes from this place of oh I should be better because comes from this come from this place of I shouldn't need God's help this much every time you and I experience discouragement really the source is I should be able to do this on my own I shouldn't fail I shouldn't fall I should be stronger I should be better than I actually am as opposed to just standing in the truth and saying God this is me as I am please God come to help me as I am the recipe to get out of that season of discouragement is to choose to enter into the truth Jesus is not surprised by your sins neither should you be Jesus is not surprised by your weakness and neither should you be so humility and hope right to acknowledge the truth and then to do something about it again venerable Bruno Lan Terry if I should fall a thousand times I will not lose courage I will not be troubled I will simply immediately say with peaceful repentance now I begin just begin again that's that's that's the secret for Hope like like I don't feel hope doesn't matter you can live hope I don't I don't feel like that there's a lot of like hope for the future listen there's too many things to do do one thing you feel like you're behind the eightball like just I can't I'm I'm trapped and I'm stuck just do one thing sometimes you feel so completely overwhelmed by all the things that have to get done and they're not going to get done and they're not going to be done perfectly and they're not going to be done the way I want they're not I'm not going to get the grade I want I'm not going to get the job I want I'm not going to have the future I want simply acknowledge the truth and then do something what do I do well it's really simple just simply do the next right thing that's it when you find yourself in that season of discouragement okay I'm going to step into the truth knowing the truth that I've fallen but also there is a God who loves me I wish I was Stronger but there's a God who loves me in my weakness that's the truth of humility and now I'm going to move we realize this Pride loses its power the moment we turn to God and discouragement loses its power the moment we move because you're not alone and just simply doing the next right thing is the only thing that you're being asked to do so St Jonah Arc at one point St Jon of Arc was asked the question was if she wasn't if she was afraid that someone had said that you know basically you're going to be amongst all the these soldiers all these people who could actually do you grave harm and St John of Arc in response to this question are you afraid she said essentially she says I'm not afraid because God is with me and I was born to do this she didn't say I'm not afraid because I'm super strong and I'm super good at what I do she didn't say I'm not afraid because I got this taken care of she didn't say I'm super I'm not afraid because I'm going to do this perfectly I'm Not Afraid two reasons because God is with me that's the truth and she also said I was born to do this and that's the truth so what is this in her case this was to go to the Doon and convince him to be king what is your this like when it when it comes to life when it comes to the thing you born to do what is your this it's really simple today your this is simply the next right thing so for our students it it's okay the assignment just start writing for our students it's it's I need to study okay just open the book for our students it's it's say Okay um I experienced this sadness for myself the other night I experienced this sadness okay just go to the chapel for any of us who find ourselves in a spirit or season of discouragement but you want to be the kind of person who's the most courageous person that you know what do we have to do it's overwhelmingly simple do not lose heart but be brave be courageous stand in the whole truth that this is the truth about my weakness and this is the truth of God's love for me this is the truth of how I've failed and this is the truth of how God is strong and then move then simply do the next thing and even if you fail again even if you fall again even if you struggle again even if that season that Temptation for a season of discouragement persists simply stand in the truth do the next right thing and simply say once more n now I begin [Music]

Channel: Sundays with Ascension

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Id: jH5-IaFkcgU

Length: 23min 23sec (1403 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 21 2024