This blog is based on references in the Bible to fear. God wills that we “BE NOT AFRAID”. Many theologians state that the eighth deadly sin is fear. It is fear and its natural animal reaction to fight or flight that is the root cause of our failings to create a Kingdom of God on earth. By “the power of the Holy Spirit” we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7 8). This blog is dedicated to Mary the Mother of God.
For
the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.
Jesus as the son of God has
received His power; the divine power of life-giving and judgment. These two
powers form a constant part of the Father’s life. Babies are born, even on the
Sabbath, and people die. God does not stop his life giving on the Sabbath and
neither should we. God the Father gives life and so too the Son which He demonstrated
by rising from the dead. Christ gives life and whoever hears and accepts him
receives eternal life and does not come under judgment for he who hears the Son
hears the Father. Whoever responds negatively judges himself or herself by that
very fact. Christ is loyal to those who trust in Him.[1]
Sir Ernest Shackleton like so many of his generation were ultimate
adventurers – part hero, part daredevil – fighting the elements and the odds,
too far from civilization to call for help – laying it all on the line purely
for the love of adventure. Shackleton led a doomed expedition to miraculous
survival through the sheer force of his motivational leadership. In 1914, he
set out with a crew of twenty-eight men on a quest to be the first to travel
across the entire Antarctic continent by way of the South Pole. His ship, Endurance,
became caught in ice and was crushed. After abandoning the ship, he and his men
faced incredible hardship from a variety of brutal Antarctic conditions – from
shifting weather to shifting ice, along with the trials of hunger, illness and
discouragement – for more than a year. Yet every man got home safely, when the
entire expedition would have perished under weaker leadership. Incredibly, the
only casualty was frostbitten toes on one man. He had passion for the adventure
of the mission but he also had passion for the men he led. When he was forced
to abandon his doomed ship and realized he would not achieve his goal of
reaching the South Pole en route to the other side, he kept his disappointment
to himself while he shifted his priorities to the well-being of his men. He
said to another leader, F.A. Worsley, “It is a pity [to miss the crossing], but
that cannot be helped. It is the men we have to think about. “He put his men
above himself. He understood that the survival of them all might well depend on
the quality of his leadership. He also realized that he could provide better
leadership if he served as well as led. “Shackleton shared the physical labors
as well as the watches…[He] would forego his own rations in order to feed the
undernourished or the ill. And he often did so without anyone knowing
it…Shackleton always put the needs of his men ahead of his personal comfort,
and as a result he saved them all.” He realized that in order to survive they
would have to stay healthy – mentally as well as physically. When we are trying
to survive, having fun is the farthest thing from our minds. It may even be seen
as trivializing the suffering. But during harsh tribulation it is more important than ever to find something to
enjoy. During hard times we need to find a source of joy in order to maintain a
healthy perspective. As a leader, Shackleton accepted responsibility for
maintaining the spirits as well as the health of his men. Yes, they were brave
adventurers just as Shackleton was, well able to take care of themselves.
Still, Shackleton knew that as a leader he could provide a unique kind of
influence that would be empowering, energizing and uplifting. He continually
sought out ways to boost morale. He set aside time for recreation. They
improvised various forms of entertainment. Several of the men had chosen books
among the possessions they salvaged, and they read aloud to each other. They
played soccer on the ice. “Humor…played a role, with Shackleton telling stories
or teasing his men. What Shackleton was doing was keeping his men alive inside;
by encouraging them to read or sing, he was keeping their spirits from sagging
or dwelling on the inhospitalities that in other circumstances might have overwhelmed
them.” He Inspired Loyalty. Shackleton’s passion for his mission and for his
men, his passion for leadership, and his passion for motivation were a source
of energy and courage during times of severe adversity. These virtues made him
a leader that people wanted to follow. Even when his men may not have wanted to
do something for themselves, they would do it for him. He inspired this kind of
loyalty because he gave it to his men. They respected and trusted him because
he respected and trusted them. They took care of him because he took care of
them. They put him first because he put them first. He was a wonderful example
of what a role model should be.
Shackleton dedicated South,
the book he wrote about their extraordinary exploits, “To My Comrades.” In
one especially moving passage he observed: “In memories we were rich. We had
pierced the veneer of outside things. We had suffered, starved and triumphed,
groveled down yet grasped at glory, grown bigger in the bigness of the whole.
We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that natures renders. We had
reached the naked soul of man.” Sixty years after they had been rescued, the
expedition’s first officer, Lionel Greenstreet, was asked how they had done it,
how had they survived such a deadly misadventure. Greenstreet gave a one-word
response: “Shackleton.”
I have been to Antarctica, and with
Shackleton, I can voice I have seen the face of God through the power and
majesty of nature. As catholic’s we recognize this same power of God in nature
and celebrate it in our Ember Day observations.
Psalm 147:12, 16-17 "Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem: praise thy God, O
Sion. Who giveth snow like wool: scattereth mists like ashes. He sendeth his
crystal like morsels: who shall stand before the face of his cold?"
Winter is a time of reflection, when human activity is stilled and snow
blankets the world with silence. For the Christian, Winter symbolizes Hope:
though the world now appears lifeless and makes us think of our own mortality,
we hope in our resurrection because of the Resurrection of the One Whose
Nativity we await now. How providential that the Christ Child will be born at
the beginning of this icy season, bringing with Him all the hope of Spring!
Also among our Winter feasts are the Epiphany and Candlemas,
two of the loveliest days of the year, the first evoked by water, incense, and
gold; the latter by fire...Yes, despite the typical, unimaginative view of
Winter as a long bout with misery, the season is among the most beautiful and
filled with charms. The ephemeral beauty of a single snowflake... the pale blue
tint of sky reflected in snow that glitters, and gives way with a satisfying
crunch under foot... skeletal trees entombed in crystal, white as bones, cold
as death, creaking under the weight of their icy shrouds... the wonderful
feeling of being inside, next to a fire, while the winds whirl outside... the
smell of burning wood mingled with evergreen... warm hands embracing your
wind-bitten ones... the brilliant colors of certain winter birds, so shocking
against the ocean of white... the wonderfully long nights which lend themselves
to a sense of intimacy and quiet! Go outside and look at the clear Winter skies
ruled by Taurus, with the Pleiades on its shoulder and Orion nearby... Such
beauty! Even if you are not a "winter person," consider that
Shakespeare had the right idea when he wrote in "Love's Labours
Lost":
Why should proud summer boast
Before the birds have any cause to sing?
Why should I joy in an abortive birth?
At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows.
It is nine days before Christmas. Today start a Christmas
novena with your family or someone you love.
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