By Fr Stephan Alexander
General Manager, CCSJ
Moral courage! This is the grace that we are invited to pray for when we meditate on the third Sorrowful mystery of the Holy Rosary. The grace of moral courage, for Roman Catholics, refers to the divine strength and spiritual fortitude given to us by God so that we may act according to conscience, even in the face of fear, opposition, or personal cost.
It is the ability to uphold and defend moral principles, particularly those rooted in faith and the teachings of the Church, despite the pressures of society or personal adversity.
Moral courage, grounded in the virtue of fortitude, is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It allows believers to persevere in doing what is right, resisting temptations to compromise or abandon Christian values.
This grace empowers us to bear witness to the truth of the Gospel, stand up for justice, and act with integrity, particularly in situations where it may be difficult or unpopular to do so. Simply put, moral courage is the grace to stand with Jesus Christ and journey with Him to Calvary.
To authentically live out our faith and give effect to justice, we need the grace of moral courage. Justice, we may remember, is right living, right relationship or giving to each person what they deserve.
It is not what we think people deserve but what their human dignity—the fact that each person is a child of God created in God’s image and likeness —demands just because they are human.
We must honour each other’s human dignity no matter what! A challenge, I know. That’s why we need to pray for this grace if we are to be balanced and unshaken in our responsibilities towards each other and in our responses to situations occurring in our country.
Sadly, our country continues to suffer. At times we may even feel that we are being beaten into submission by the traumas that are being forced upon us daily. Our children especially continue to suffer. The stark reality of dehumanisation seems to be their ‘daily bread’.
To dehumanise someone is to debase their individuality and deny their full humanity. This makes them feel like less of a person, less human.
Wasn’t this the burden that Jayden Lalchan carried? Wasn’t he so beaten into submission that not even the love and assurances of his loved ones seemed helpful? Overwhelmed by the constant challenges to whom he was, Jayden succumbed.
What of those who are equally burdened, who live and differently demonstrate their frustrations with trauma?
I am aware of a school where verbal threats towards teachers and students were physically acted upon. I am certain that this is currently the situation in several of our nation’s other schools.
Bullying in schools is again prominent. Jayden’s ‘sacrifice’ has ensured this. However, in seeking to support him and other victims, some of us have found it necessary to cast blame and sadly, also to dehumanise those we deem responsible. That certainly cannot be the answer. Unjustly blaming someone or worse, denoting the alleged perpetrators of trauma as monsters (or other dehumanising names) does nothing to help the situation.
I was amazed at how many social media posts sought to vilify the alleged bullies, teachers who ‘supposedly’ did nothing and even Jayden’s grieving relatives. Imagine, some people dared to claim that Jayden’s parents were responsible for not instilling confidence in him, teaching him to defend himself or for ‘allowing’ the abuse to continue unabated.
Similarly, many online commenters have unjustly cast blame upon the parents of Antonio Benjamin, the autistic teen who drowned in his neighbour’s pool. Others have misguidedly called for some skewed sense of ‘justice’ which essentially seeks to ensure that someone else hurts, no matter who. This, however, is exactly the opposite of justice.
Perhaps rather than blaming anybody or everybody, we could all take responsibility. Maybe we should recognise that we have all contributed to creating an unjust society where people are regularly traumatised and resources for healing trauma are lacking.
The grace of moral courage is necessary for us to take responsibility for the injustice common amongst us. This courage is nurtured through prayer, the sacraments, and a deepening relationship with God.
It is seen in the lives of the saints, martyrs, and everyday Christians who demonstrate unwavering commitment to Christ’s teachings, often at great personal sacrifice.
It is essential if we are to pursue justice, which necessitates difficult choices, requiring us to stand firm in our commitment to the common good, human dignity, and the teachings of Christ, especially when doing so is not convenient or socially acceptable.
May Jayden, Antonio and all others lost to us, rest in peace.
