The New Wine Press vol 26 no 2 October 2017 | Page 5

Leadership
The Courage to Be Bold
by Fr. Joe Nassal, c.pp.s., Provincial Director
They were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of
God with boldness.
-Acts 4: 31
At the funeral of Heather Heyer, the young woman who was killed on
August 12th in Charlottesville, Virginia, her mother said, “They tried to kill
my child to shut her up, but guess what, you just magnified her.” Heather
Heyer believed in justice and equality. She was part of the counter-demon-
stration in Charlottesville that Saturday because she was bold in not only
proclaiming her beliefs but living them.
As people whose charism calls forth from us the ministry of the Word,
how bold are we in proclaiming the power of the blood of Christ? The first
witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus were very bold, risking everything—
life and limb, reputation and relationships—to proclaim the good news
of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. What risks are we willing to take to
speak our truth?
In its statement condemning the president’s dreadful and disgusting
decision to end daca, the Conference for Major Superiors of Men (cmsm)
said: “We see once again that we can no longer rely solely on phone calls,
emails, statements, meetings with politicians, and spirited vigils or rallies.
We need to tap further the creativity of prayer-driven nonviolent resis-
tance.” Quoting its recent resolution on Gospel Nonviolence, and in sync
with our own Corporate Stance on Immigration Reform passed at the 2016
Provincial Assembly, the leaders of religious communities of men called
for “solidarity and protection through accompaniment and nonviolent
resistance for vulnerable immigrants.”
One of the challenges we face is how to remain energized and moti-
vated to act when faced with so many pressing issues that seem to crush so
many. Reflecting on the aftermath of Charlottesville for America magazine,
Jesuit Father Jim McDermott asked, “How do you continue to ‘bear wit-
ness’ when every three or four days there is another crisis?” I have heard
myself asking this same question often and many others express exhaus-
tion as the tensions and crises become almost daily reminders of a world
divided.
There is no sense in trying to avoid the news. The waves of tragic and
terrible news will not stop: witness the storm surges caused by Hurricanes
Harvey and Irma that left devastation, destruction, and so much death in
their wake; the ongoing threat of nuclear disaster posed by North Korea;
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