Elija Mission

Before we delve into the story of today’s saint, we should first ask: what is iconoclasm?

Following the Council of Chalcedon, a controversy arose in the Eastern Church over whether it was permissible to depict Christ in icons. Influenced by the Islamic doctrine of God’s inaccessibility, those who opposed images argued that Christ could not be represented because He was true God, and they considered that icons placed too much emphasis on His humanity. Conversely, defenders of images claimed that the Spirit of God permeated visible representations of the invisible God. In 726, Emperor Leo III banned images and ordered their destruction in all churches and monasteries.

The ‘iconoclasts’, or detractors of images, based their argument on the Old Testament prohibition against making representations of God. This dispute, which raged fiercely for nearly a century, ended when the Church bindingly defined that icons of Christ and the saints could be venerated.

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As we approach the end of the liturgical year, I would like to tell you about two saints who are likely unfamiliar to us today, but whose story was so popular in the Middle Ages that it was said some knew it better than the Holy Scriptures.

They are the hermit Saint Barlaam and the Indian prince Josaphat. Saint John Damascene, a Church Father born around 650, is considered the author of their story.

Ancient Indian chronicles recount that some hermits from the desert of Thebaid traveled to the land of the Hindus, where they converted people of all castes to Christianity. Many of them imitated the example of the apostles of Egypt and devoted themselves to contemplation in solitude. Their numbers were considerable, so the “new religion” attracted the attention of kings. Then Abener, a powerful king of India whose kingdom bordered Persia, rose up and began to persecute Christians. He worshiped the god Brahma and indulged in every sensual pleasure. But no matter how rich the treasure of his palace was, and no matter how much his clothes were adorned with gold and precious stones, his soul was poor in wisdom.

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Today we celebrate the memorial of St Catherine of Alexandria, who lived between the 3rd and 4th century. Catherine, being the only daughter of a pagan king named Costus, had received a good education. She had become a Christian.

When she heard that Emperor Maxentius had ordered all the people to come to Alexandria to offer sacrifice to the gods, Catherine hurried to the place where the Christians were, fearful of the death that awaited them if they refused to sacrifice.

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We had reflected on the virtue of fortitude in context with the readings from the book of Maccabees; those courageous men and women of the People of Israel. I also pointed out that we need this virtue for our Christian witness in the world, which, in an extreme case, can go as far as martyrdom. We can train ourselves in the virtue of fortitude, and we should not be discouraged if we are naturally fearful. The story of the novice Blanche de la Force (narrated in Gertud von Le Fort’s novel “The Last One at the Scaffold”) can encourage these fearful souls, showing them that they too can be capable of heroic deeds.

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Fortitude – which is considered as one of the four cardinal virtues – is part of the basic equipment of a soldier. If he does not become courageous, he cannot be counted on in the toughest battles, for fear would take hold of him, so that the situation would become dangerous for all his comrades.

It is easy to make this observation when we think of physical warfare. But physical warfare is a reflection of the spiritual combat in which we find ourselves. In chapter 6 of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul makes us understand that our struggle is against “the principalities, the powers, the rulers of this dark world and the spirits of evil that are in the air” (v. 12).

The war in which we find ourselves must be fought on many levels, and the Lord does not exempt us from doing our part. Each in his own way, and according to the circumstances in which he finds himself, needs the virtue of fortitude and must learn to overcome all cowardice and to restrain his fearfulness, so that it does not prevent him from doing what the Lord wants of him.

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The readings of the last few days presented us with impressive examples of faith, faithfulness and fortitude. I have therefore decided to dedicate some meditations to the cardinal virtue of fortitude. In these times of turmoil, it is particularly important to aspire to and practice this virtue, in order to be able to resist the various temptations that are presented to us. Let us take as our model those people we met in the readings of the last days, who showed us that obedience and faithfulness to God are above all earthly values and that, with God’s help, it is even possible to overcome fear.

Fortitude does not mean the absence of fear. It is not the ideal of courage conveyed to us in the stories of heroes who fear nothing and no one. Even a fearful person can, through grace, become strong and courageous, because it is God who makes them capable of it. But he, for his part, will have to exercise himself in this virtue and acquire it. It is not that we can simply avoid being overcome by this fear that appears without our seeking it, but what we can do are concrete acts, so that it does not paralyse us, preventing us from doing what has been entrusted to us.

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