STAND UP, RAISE ONE’S VOICE AND PROCLAIM

 

Do you remember the first time you ever had to make a speech before a crowd? I do. I remember that sinking feeling, the lump in my throat, my eyes swooning like I was going to just melt down and disappear.

It is hard to step up to the podium and be the object of everyone’s gaze, and speak, even for seasoned public speakers like priests and teachers.

But it is even harder to stand up for what you say, let alone raise your voice about something unpopular. I remember delivering a homily about the sacredness of life in one parish in the affluent Western world. When you talk about being pro-life, you cut against the grain of those who call themselves pro-choice. But as a priest, I am called not just to give fancy talks that simply entertain and do not ruffle anyone’s feathers. As a preacher, I am called to stand up, raise my voice and proclaim.

This is pretty much what Peter did — the same Peter who, just days earlier, could not even stand up to the truth about who he was vis-à-vis Christ when questioned by an insignificant and nameless servant girl. He chickened out and denied the Lord thrice.

But there is something about “experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection” that made him a changed man. He “stood up with the eleven.” He “raised his voice and proclaimed to them,” and in the process, he more than just undid his threefold denial of the Lord.

The courage to stand up, raise one’s voice and proclaim one’s faith are the stuff out of which martyrdom is made. Peter did it. James, too, did the same. St. Lorenzo Ruiz claimed his rightful place in the roster of martyrs for proclaiming boldly: “I am a Christian, and if I had a thousand lives, I would be willing to die a thousand deaths.”

Talk is cheap in our times. Remember all the promises made by politicians last year? We are inundated with words. But words alone would mean nothing unless we “stand up, raise our voice and proclaim” in God’s name, like Peter did.Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

 

Reflection Question:

How bold am I in standing up and proclaiming my faith despite persecution?

 

Lord, give me the courage to stand up and speak boldly for my faith when there is a need to.

 

St. Acacius, pray for us.