Do Not Be Afraid

Some of you may know that over the summer, the President of the United States made public his nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh would be filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. In his speech accepting the nomination, Kavanaugh, a graduate of Georgetown Prep Jesuit high school, told millions of viewers that he has spent his whole life trying to live the motto of his school: to be a “man for others.” Then, as if that was not enough, he went on to tell the world that he was a committed Catholic and was very active in his parish.

 

I was impressed that a guy who stands at the brink of possibly being one of the most important and influential people in the country, would have the courage to publicly state for all to hear that he was a “man for others,” and a committed Catholic. The fact is, being Catholic in the world of politics, or the world of entertainment, or the world of science, or just the world in general, is not an easy thing. Way too often if you wear your Catholicism on your sleeve and truly strive to live the gospel values, you are quickly met with suspicion, mockery, and jeers. You are thought to be a bore, out of date, and out of touch.

 

Yet, there was Kavanaugh, a graduate of Yale Law School, cool as a cucumber, confident, and determined, leading off his speech to the American people with a testimony to the fact that he is a man of faith and has raised his family to be a family of faith. He was not afraid to show the world that God and His Church played a significant part in his life as a man, a husband, a father, and a judge and that it has been one of the keys to his success.

 

That fact is that the history books are filled with men with this kind of valor and determination. Just the other day, at the dedication of the new chapel of the Holy Cross at Jesuit High School in Tampa, I stood in front of an image of the martyr Blessed Miguel Pro. This is a man who became a Jesuit priest during one of the most difficult times for the faith in modern history. Born in Mexico in 1891, he entered the Society of Jesus shortly after the Mexican government adopted a new constitution that made being Catholic illegal. Churches were burnt to the ground, priests and nuns were murdered, and all religious activity was suspended. Yet in the midst of all of that, Miguel Pro decided to walk right into the mouth of the lion and minister to the people of God.

 

He spent most of his time trying to evade the authorities. He would wear costumes to disguise himself so he wouldn’t be arrested. He gathered people together at night and in secret to celebrate the mass and baptize babies. He would inconspicuously ride on buses or sit on park benches with a newspaper and hear confessions, giving absolution by doing the sign of the cross as if he were swatting a fly. It was dangerous, but he was not afraid to be a priest and not afraid to practice his Catholic faith. Eventually, he was betrayed and captured, and on November 23, 1927, he was killed by a firing squad with outstretched arms while screaming in a loud voice, “Viva Cristo Rey!”

 

What could possibly possess a man to willingly live such a dangerous and persecuted life? What could possibly possess a man to willingly die such a violent death? The answer is Jesus Christ. It is only in Jesus that one can find the courage to stand strong for what one believes and surrender life and limb. It is only in Jesus that one can discover the truth and the meaning of life and be willing to go to the grave for it. Jesus said in the gospel that if there is any man, woman, or child who would come after him, he must pick up his cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24). That is what Miguel Pro did. He also warned us that if we choose to be his disciples, “they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of [his] name” (Luke 21:12). That is what happened to Miguel Pro.