PODCAST | First Sunday & Week of Lent: Fortitude
In this meditation, we reflect on the virtue of fortitude as the driving force to overcome temptation. St. Josemaria Escriva reminds us, “A task which presents no difficulties lacks human appeal – and supernatural appeal too. If you find no resistance when hammering a nail into a wall, what can you expect to hang on it?” (The Forge, no. 245). To win the prize, you cannot avoid the struggle—it is the very path to victory.
Fortitude is essential for both the spiritual life and human development. Msgr. Dolan reflects on the importance of deferred gratification—choosing to set aside immediate desires in favor of what must be done. He explains that this discipline goes hand in hand with gumption, the ability to recognize the right course of action and take decisive steps forward. A key danger in the spiritual life is abandoning the fight altogether. We can either face challenges with fear and stress or embrace them with excitement and trust.
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent recounts Christ’s temptation in the desert. As the perfect model of virtue, he embodies fortitude in the face of Satan’s trials. This Lent, how can you strengthen the virtue of fortitude in your own life and say ‘no’ to temptation?
To accompany our Lenten meditation of the week, explore “Lent 2025: Called By Name”: a collection of readings and devotions from the St. Josemaria Institute to inspire your conversion and renewal this holy season contemplating how Our Lord continues to call each of us by our name.
Rev. Msgr. Frederick Dolan
Msgr. Frederick Dolan, a native of Bethesda, Maryland, was ordained a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei in 1983. He has worked in Rome, New York City, South Bend (Indiana) and New Haven (CT). Since 1998 he has resided in Montreal and currently carries out his pastoral ministry in Canada. [ YouTube ]
