Lent 2026 - Reading #20 - Fortitude
Reading
Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici, speaks of fortitude as essential to the vocation of all Christians: "The call to holiness is rooted in Baptism and proposed anew in the other Sacraments, principally in the Eucharist. Since Christians are reclothed in Christ Jesus and refreshed by His Spirit, they are 'holy.' They therefore have the ability to manifest this holiness and the responsibility to bear witness to it in all that they do." John Paul II continues: "The lay faithful must bear witness to those human and gospel values that are intimately connected with political activity itself, such as liberty and justice, solidarity, faithful and unselfish dedication for the good of all, a simple lifestyle, and a preferential love for the poor and the least. This demands that the lay faithful always be more animated by a real participation in the life of the Church and enlightened by her social teaching. In this they can be supported and helped by the proximity of their pastors." The pope insists that fortitude is not reserved for monks and martyrs. Every baptized Christian is called to the courage of bearing witness in the ordinary circumstances of their life, at work, in the family, in the public square. This is a fortitude that requires not dramatic heroism but daily, unglamorous faithfulness.
Reflection
Twenty days of Lent are behind us, and John Paul II widens the lens of fortitude to include every Christian, not only the heroic or the consecrated. Our pilgrimage through the virtues is for everyone, not just for theologians or monks but for parents, workers, students, and retirees. The virtues we are cultivating are not decorations for the spiritually elite; they are necessities for every soul. The fortitude John Paul describes is the courage of the ordinary. It is the mother who teaches her children to pray in a culture that finds it quaint. It is the businessman who refuses to cut ethical corners when everyone else does. It is the friend who speaks an uncomfortable truth in love. None of these acts will make the evening news, but together they constitute the backbone of a just and humane society. This is the fortitude that Lent is training in us: not the dramatic courage of the battlefield, but the quiet courage of integrity. As we approach the end of this week of fortitude, take stock of the ordinary courage your life requires. Where are you tempted to take the easy road, to go along to get along, to sacrifice what is right for what is comfortable? The Lenten disciplines are daily rehearsals for these moments. Every time you choose the fast over the feast, the prayer over the distraction, you strengthen the muscle of fortitude. It is being built in you, one small choice at a time. Trust the process.