S2 E4: Finding Courage in Our Faith

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

As human beings, we share all kinds of phobias and fears. But then there's a level of fear that begins to impact our relationships and our choices, preventing us from acting and doing. It might be a fear of confronting someone with difficult news, sharing some tender emotions, or trying something new and creative, often rooted in a lack of self-confidence or trust. 

Yet fear itself is not the enemy. Fear is an invitation to look more closely at the areas of our lives that may need growth, healing, or greater trust. The real question is not whether we experience fear, but how we respond to it.

As Advent draws to a close, we are given two powerful examples in Mary and Joseph. Both faced profound uncertainty and real fear, and both stood at a crossroads. Their choices—to listen, to trust, and to act with courage—did not remove their fear, but transformed it into faith-filled action. Through their courage, God was able to work in extraordinary ways, and that is the basis of today’s reflection. Here’s Father Mark. 

Here’s Father Mark

“Finding Courage in Our Faith,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

As we reflect on the reality of fear, think of one or two of your own personal fears, those things you find most difficult to do, those things that prevent you from acting and being free.

Those fears can really cripple us, but they also have a purpose. For it is not our task to rid ourselves of fear, but to figure our way through it because fear is a signal: a signal of an area in my life that I may need to challenge; an area of my life that may need some tweaking; an area of my life where I may need to grow.

And so as we ponder our fears, those anxieties, and those things that truly are difficult for us to do, what are our choices?

Well, for many of us, we simply give in to the fear and allow it to cripple us. And so the very thing we know we ought to do, we choose not to do because we're afraid of the ramifications of doing so. The fragility of our egos prevents any further action.

Or we can listen carefully to the lives of two people who are pivotal during our Advent season: the life of Mary, the mother of God, and Joseph, her husband. Both of them dealt with a large degree of fear. They were both very apprehensive. What would've happened if they gave into that fear and allowed it to cripple them? It's quite possible that the whole course of salvation history could change. That Joseph remained very convinced about divorcing Mary, and moving on. And perhaps Mary, a young woman herself, could have given in to her fear and easily changed her "yes" into a "no." But yet they both rose to the occasion. Mary took up the challenge, and even though in the midst of the difficulty and the intensity of her fear, chose to listen to the will of God and do as she was instructed to do. Joseph stood tall. He embraced the challenge of welcoming Mary into his home, persevered, and did the right and the just thing.

In confronting their fears, they were able to then be used by God to do remarkable things, even though they felt themselves to be quite small.

What would happen if we didn't allow our fears to cripple us? That if we took the challenge and confronted some of those areas in our life that may need to be looked at and grown through? Is it quite possible that we, too, could come out the other end stronger, more convicted, more free, and certainly more centered on the will of God?

What allows us, then, to take that example of Mary and the example of Joseph and make it our own? Well, the answer to that question is quite simple. It's called courage. And where do we find courage? We find courage in our faith and realizing that in Jesus Christ, our savior, son of God, we find the example and the model to persevere through our fears, to confront those things we find most difficult to do, begin thinking outside the box, and not limiting ourselves to our own preconceived notions and ideas. In doing so, we not only will find ourselves closer to our creator, but living lives that are certainly a lot more free.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services, and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.