Week 2 devotional
Mike Geide
Theme: Fortitude
Last week was the theme of “New Beginnings” and reflecting on God’s “New Beginnings” for us at St. Mark and within our own lives. We also discussed that as Christians we are all beginners and prone to sin – and as the Ven. Bruno Lanteri states, “though I may fall a thousand times, a thousand times with peaceful repentance I will say Nunc Coepi [now I begin].” It takes fortitude to continually get back up, start, and restart. The Catechism defines Fortitude as “the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and overcome obstacles in the moral life” Fortitude is a virtue, and it allows us to act virtuously even when we don’t feel like it and when we are tempted to do otherwise.
In successful business, there is a saying that “persistence beats genius or talent” … meaning that I may be given amazing physical, mental, and spiritual gifts, but if I haven’t developed the fortitude, or discipline to keep going with constancy even in the face of temptations or obstacles … I am going to fail.
Someone once asked me what the hardest part of marathon running is – I said it is those training runs, waking up when the sun hasn’t risen yet, your legs are tired or sore – the hardest part of marathon running is lacing up your shoes and getting out the door when you don’t feel like it … it’s not the running … the running will follow and happen when you get out the door. Don’t get me wrong, it takes a certain amount of fortitude to make it through a hard training session or a race … but just getting out the door and starting your training run is a reoccurring obstacle to success. This “obstacle to start” can also compound – meaning that after you skip a training session, it become so much easier to skip another … in essence, giving into the obstacle can cause it to grow in strength. Many of us are familiar with “inertia” within project management or product adoption – making positive changes can often be a slow and difficult process.
Tools I’ve used to over-come this obstacle include: (1) prepare your environment – set your “alarm”, put out your “running clothes & shoes”, have a “training plan/route selected”, and remove any other barriers/delays to starting, (2) prepare your mind - know that the mental battle will be there, that you’ll be tired and can think of a million reasons not to start – but you need just one really good reason to overcome all of those negative reasons … having just one concrete reason or goal and a means for tracking your progress (I use a journal) can put your focus on the right path, knowing that “practice makes progress” and (3) seek help & support – having teammates and coaches are invaluable; giving us strength, encouragement, and advice.
This is all a metaphor for the obstacles that we face in doing God’s will. Ponder if you will: What is God’s will for me today? What are the obstacles that I’m battling? How can I better adjust my physical and mental surroundings? Who are my teammates? Who are my coaches? How do I start?
So “How do I start?” In one of Fr. Mike’s post-Easter homilies he said something so simple, yet so profound … how do I start … it’s simple, just do the next right thing. You may have inertia toward starting or have recently experienced a back-slide and require a restart … to move toward God and his will, just focus your energy and efforts towards “just doing the next right thing.” Remember, races are run one step at a time – don’t be discouraged by all the steps that you’ll need to run in the future; instead ensure you take the next step in front of you. And when you stumble and fall, say as the Ven. Bruno Lanteri says with peaceful repentance, “Nunc Coepi [now I begin]” … and begin again by just doing the next right thing.
On your run this morning reflect on these words and what the “next right thing” is in your life.
Pray now:
Lord Jesus, grant me the gift of your Spirit that I may do your will with constancy despite temptations or obstacles. Amen