What is courage and how should we mean nowadays? This is probably the most obvious question that come to mind when you reflect on another discussion in this cycle, the cardinal virtue. Think of the courage we see before us stalwart of the early Christians devoured by wild beasts in the arena of the Roman circus, the crusaders remind us unmindful of adversity, but go ahead zdążający Holy Land.
rightly admire in history, but sometimes we forget about the present. It was almost like since then something has changed. How wrong thinking is characterized by are people starting to consider each problem from the phrase "today." The question asked at the beginning of this text deliberately formulated incorrectly. Should be: What is courage and how we should understand them? Courage is a virtue, and virtue remain unchanged. We understand the courage just like St. Cecilia, the same as St. Louis. There is no reason why we should think otherwise. Certainly, others will be our actions, but should follow the same motivation.
Courage is - as the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (1808) - Moral virtue that gives perseverance in difficulties and constancy in the continuation of the good. Strengthens decision to resist temptation and overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables them to overcome fear, even fear of death, to face trials and persecution. The same virtue, by which the early Christians boldly chose to die a martyr, podrywała medieval knights to fight for the conquest of the Holy Land. Acquiring this virtue is also our duty. Even if it is not required for us to die for faith (although it is not so obvious), and so we must be characterized by unyielding attitude of the knight of Christ, who are not afraid of any adversity. Sometimes it manifests itself in normal everyday situations where we have the courage to admit to the faith, when we defend against attacks by detractors of the Church, when the urge our loved ones, if they act inappropriately.
This strength, the courage, which sometimes manifests itself in small things, and sometimes the sacrifice of life, can be obtained in only one way: through prayer, formation and joining the Sacraments. Only a man open to the grace of God and completely and in the daily overcoming themselves subordinated to the will of God, the only man who entrusted to the care of the Blessed Mother, but this can be truly courageous. Courage is not the fact bravado - is a noble and resolute attitude of an orderly life.
Cesare Ripa describes the symbolic figure of courage:
husband in adulthood, in a golden robe, on his right hand holding a laurel wreath and scepter, left gładzący lion leaning on his left side. He is dressed in gold, because gold is refined in the fire, so the perfection of man is hardened in the fire of hatred podżeganej by envy or fortune. It gives him a scepter, as governments and the reign of bravery owe everything correctly. Wreath of laurel, which is always green and never fade, shows a man valiant duty, in the sense that the nil conscire Sibi, palescere nulla culpa (I do not suffer from any blemishes, have a clear conscience - translation Niemcewicza), in the words of Horace in Letters as this "flaw" [pale] in danger is little sign of bravery. Cherished its lion indicates that it is a truly courageous act of a reunion of hearts of wild and cruel people by persuading them to kindness and courtesy by the particular deprivation of their bad habits and unpleasant manners.
Filip Maria Muszynski
text appeared for the first time in the fifth issue (September - October 2009) "Counter-
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