Looking for God’s Goodness in contemplation and prayer. Allow The Gift of Fortitude by Dan Burke, put you in the presence of God. Invite the Holy Spirit into your weakness and make you strong with Divine fortitude.
Under the influence of the gift of fear, the soul puts itself completely into the hands of God and has but one desire, that of never being separated from Him. The gift of fortitude comes to strengthen it so that it may be always more and more courageous in serving God.
In the measure that the soul advances in the spiritual life, it should follow God’s initiative, and let itself be guided by the Holy Spirit, rather than proceed according to its own ideas; however, its activity is necessary here too, consisting of as it does in a prompt, docile adherence to the promptings of the divine Paraclete, accepting and willing all that He does for it and in it.
Thus, this gift comes to help and to perfect the virtue of fortitude, which, in spite of our good will, is always weak and too often fails us, especially when we are faced with the rigorous demands of a more perfect spiritual life. We need courage to remain faithful to God’s law and the duties of our state—even at the cost of great sacrifice—and to patiently endure the difficulties of life. We need it even more to second the action of God in our soul, to follow faithfully the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and not be frightened by the trials God makes us undergo. He is a kind, gentle Master, but at the same time, a very exacting one, because He cannot lead us to sanctity without asking us for all.
And this is just where we most experience our frailty: we feel intuitively what God wants from us, perhaps we see it very clearly, and yet we are not capable, we lack the strength to do it. This is a great grief for a soul of good will, not yet fully matured. It is the condition of human weakness which actual grace and the infused virtue of fortitude can do much to relieve, but which they cannot completely cure, acting as they do by means of our limited faculties. The direct intervention of God Himself is necessary and God does intervene by putting the gift of fortitude into action.
Come, O Spirit of fortitude, strengthen me! Grant me the gift of fortitude, to confront with courage, to support with patience, difficult and painful things, overcoming all obstacles. I am in great need of this Your gift because I am little and weak, and I tire as easily as a child. ‘But You do not tire, grow weary, and Your wisdom is unsearchable. Give me strength.’
Isaiah 40:28-31
Fortitude. Weekly Reflection Summary.
Sunday. My Value. How well do you value yourself?
Monday. Aligned with God. When I cling to God who is the Beloved and whom I love, I learn how to love, and I become more loving.
Tuesday. The Inner Voice. There is nothing evil wants more than to keep us in the dark. Wednesday. Prayer. We develop a discerning and faithful heart, through a life of prayer.
Thursday. Fasting (More versus Enough). Do you Find yourself at times in the cycle of wanting more?
Friday. Service. The beauty of service or giving alms is that it makes me think of things outside myself.
Smitten With Goodness 