Win It All
By: Chris Tanner
Own the Catholic Identity: Being bold, unafraid, and taking up the cross
Anyone can relate to a moment of embarrassment or the feeling of an immense lack of courage, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and blushed face; an instance when justice had its place, an opportunity which the Lord was screaming on the inside to speak and to act, and out of that moment comes nothing from us but a deafening silence only as a result of our fear.
Where does fear have the right to grab a hold of our tongue? Where does fear get off to stop us dead in our tracks? How dare you fear! Fear has no regard! Especially in those essential times when we know that truth must be expressed. We need to face them head on... and with love.
TOMMY’S TURKEY SAMMY
Sometimes that truth is simply the nudge to speak to Jesus in prayer for the poor guy sitting on a bench with tattered clothes and a three-year-old nicotine-stained beard, when you’re cruising on your way to Kevin’s birthday party in the comfort of your BMW. Maybe it’s taking that extra step further and asking Tommy if he wants some of the food you planned on bringing to Kev’s party. Pretty uncomfortable, right? Only the thought is uncomfortable. The action becomes quite liberating. The next time you see Tommy walking around town, you can stop, give him a Miraculous Medal, bless him with conversation, and buy him a turkey sandwich from Tropical Smoothie all coincidentally (more like providentially) on the feast day of his namesake, July 3rd.
MUCHAS GRACIAS BEFORE CHIPOTLE
Fear is the moment right before eating some Chipotle with a pal, and we all know Jimmy doesn’t prefer grace before meals. The Sign of the Cross alone makes his hands seem impaired. “Is he fake-scratchin’ that brow? Fixing a button at chest level on a shirt that has no buttons?” You ask yourself, “Do I dare make Jimmy feel uncomfortable for those nine seconds of thanking the Lord for this ridiculously overstuffed burrito?” Pray anyway! The Lord deserves all of you all the time. Every at Mass, we hear the words, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks Almighty and ever-living God.” “Always and everywhere” literally means always and everywhere.
NEXT-LEVEL PRAYER REQUEST
Perhaps a coworker asks you to pray for a cancer-invaded relative because they know that you’re the “prayerful type”. You could easily say, “I will absolutely pray for your cousin in Adoration”, OR you can kick it up to level 1,000, drop everything, and tell Dinah that we’re going to call upon Jesus in this very moment, so He knows our hearts and the urgency of our request for some radical miraculous healing. Dinah will likely walk away, not only with a more prayerful heart, but with a new gumption for impromptu prayer in the future. It’s ok to set other people on fire (not literally! gee whiz, man!).
No matter where you might be in your faith journey, we can all recall those “coulda, woulda, shoulda” instances when fear overcame our boldness. So here is your kick in the pants to be bold, unafraid, and to shove yourself directly into some uncomfortable situations. You’ll probably love it.
