Foolishness VS Courage

There is a difference between running into danger and accepting it. A fool runs into danger while a wise man accepts that certain aspects of life are dangerous. Being foolish is not the same thing as being courageous. As Christians, we understand that sometimes our way of life can be dangerous, today socially speaking, but it requires courage to stand for something and be willing to ‘take the heat’ if warranted.

IN THOSE DAYS, the apostles departed and came to Caesarea; and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. And he had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. While we were staying for some days, a prophet named Agabos came down from Judea. And coming to us he took Paul’s girdle and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we heard this, we and the people there begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “The will of the Lord be done.” Acts 21.8-14

For Saint Paul, standing for and preaching Christ had its dangerous moments. He knew that there would be times his life was in danger ‘just’ for preaching the Gospel. The Christians around him, wanting to keep him safe, fought to keep him out of danger’s path, which was admirable but impossible. It wasn’t that Paul ran into danger. In fact, Acts 9.23-25 tells the story of how he escaped over the wall in a basket, but he also knew that eventually he would face Rome. He did so without fear, because he did so for the glory of God.

There are certain times in our lives when we are faced with a decision to avoid danger altogether or face it as faithful Christians. There is a fine line between foolishness and courage. On the outside looking in, there seems to be no difference. For example, we see a man running into a fire to save someone from death. What we don’t see is the preparation of the courageous firefighter to understand the risks of different sorts of fire before entering the building, as opposed to the fool who rushes in without noticing if the fire has caused catastrophic failure in the building.

The saints who have been our focus this year at Be Transfigured Ministries, were courageous but never foolish. Saint Paul willingly accepted his arrest when he knew it would bring him to Rome to spread the Gospel, but he escaped when the timing wasn’t right. What we need to learn from the saints isn’t how to get ourselves killed for Christ, but how to preach Christ with courage instead of foolishness. Courage begins with faith and knowledge.

It is foolish, for example, to spend time on social media trolling posts that teach a morality against the Church. The vast majority of those on social media are ‘looking for a fight’ and a reason to call you names. Don’t take the bait. Let yourself be lowered over the wall in a basket. It requires courage, however, to live the morality taught by the Church, even if that means being called names. If you want to be inspired to a life of courage, consider the life of Saint Hilarion who the Church commemorates today.

Saint Hilarion, the fervent zealot for the veneration of the holy icons, was born in 775 and had Cappadocia as his homeland. About 806-811 he became Abbot of the Monastery of Dalmatus (see May 30), but was exiled by the Emperor Leo the Armenian, and later again by Theophilus; he was set free by the pious Empress Theodora, and again became Abbot of the Monastery of Dalmatus from 843 to 845, until the time of his repose. (source GOA)

This saint, like so many others we have focused on this year, didn’t rush into danger by ‘taking on’ the faithless emperor. Rather, he stood his ground of faith, and was willing to be exiled not once but twice, only to be eventually restored to his monastery where he died in peace. That is the difference between foolishness and courage.

Do you stand for faith? Then live it peacefully without rushing into dangerous situations. Be courageous enough to be exiled, but not foolish enough to be trapped in a fiery inferno.