Moral Courage – Where Did It Go?
By Wonder Woman
Moral courage: it is the courage to act or take action for moral reasons despite the risk of adverse consequences.
I read an article on Archbishop John Hughes known as “Dagger John”. He was nicknamed this due to his fiery personality. He is known for many things, but the one act that stands out to me today is his moral courage when Dagger John heard word there was a band known as “Know Nothing”. They were a short-lived political party that resented Catholic influence in politics and they instigated criminal mobs to terrorize the church.
When Dagger John received word that they were heading his way to New York from Philadelphia where the Know Nothing’s burned two churches and killed a dozen people, Dagger John rallied
his parishioners and stationed them as armed guards at each parish. Then he sent a letter to the New York mayor, who was a Know Nothing sympathizer, warning the mayor that if a single Catholic property was harmed, his men had orders to turn the city into a second Moscow, referring to the 1812 fire in Moscow, Russia started by the French occupation. Needless to say, the Know Nothings stood down!
Today people shrink back in fear when they get threats that threaten their livelihood.
They shrink back when they are called racists, intolerant, homophobic, haters, the list of pejoratives goes on and on.
In “Dante’s Inferno” it speaks of “moral cowards”. It says moral cowards are confined in the vestibule of Hell, doomed to chase a wind-blown banner. Dante’s guide, Virgil explains: this miserable way is taken by sorry souls of those who lived without disgrace and without praise they now commingle with the “coward angels” they were not rebels nor faithful to their God but stood apart. Heaven nor will deep hell receive them.
I call that Lukewarm which is being neutral. Jesus said in Revelation 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”.
Neutrality is never a good place to be when it comes to Moral Courage.
In Lake County we have political leaders who cheat to get voted in, who threatened
people to go their way or else….and there those who shrink back and do nothing to hold them accountable.
Good people of Lake County it is time we stand up and get back our Moral Courage!
Categories: Lake County - General, Uncategorized