[Today’s entry comes from Fr. Fabricio Andrade who is preaching to musicians, this is from a retreat for musicians at Canção Nova the weekend of February 7 2015.ed]
The person who is bold is used by God, the one who dares not be used is just in the dark.
Today’s psalm helps us to understand how the light is bold. However great the darkness the smallest light has dared to dispel the darkness. Any darkness can be undone by the boldness of light. I do not say darkness, but gloom. A “little light,” it dares to dispel the gloom.
Start talking about the light to enter the Gospel. King Herod heard of Jesus, whose name had become known. Many did not know for sure who Christ was. Some said that he was Elijah, others that he was a prophet. Light bothers you when you want to stay in darkness.
John the Baptist was bothering him. When a light is visible it attracts those who want to be light and repels those who want to be of darkness. It causes discomfort, so either I choose to hide allow myself to be seen. When one chooses to live for the approval of others he enters darkness. Herod had arrested John the Baptist because of Herodias. The light bothers darkness, so she [Herodias] was feeling troubled by John the Baptist.
The light is bold, it shines not only for one. The sun shines not only for one, it shines for everyone. The light of John the Baptist began to bother many by revealing the truth. Often when we are bothered, we want to eliminate those who bother us. We have marginalized, family and friends because the truth bothers us. But did you ever stop to think that behind that discomfort there is a call for change?
Herod had no identity, he was what others wanted him to be. His ministry was to be what others wanted. He ordered the arrest of John the Baptist because his audience was Herodias. He was afraid of John, he did not want to be bothered by this light that told her the truth, a light that was holy and just. Herod protected that prophet, but because of the other sent him to martyrdom. When light resolves solves to play with darkness and it sells itself and loses strength.
Herod did not have the courage to be himself, he prostituted his identity. Whoever lives in darkness never knows his entire being and whoever settled in twilight or darkness becomes afraid of the light. Whoever is afraid of the “little light” always lives in the half full and is never full. The person has no identity if it is according to the audience that he or she has.
Light is light, you can not ask for it to be half light. The Younger learn from the older, if older are not whole younger also will not be. If father and mother are not whole, neither will their children be.
Where’s your courage? When I do not see my worth, this is prostitution. One of the things that undermines the boldness of a minister of music is when he does not reject what others want, but denies himself. When you sell yourself, you deliver the head of whom? Of your ministerial colleagues, your parish? This happens when you do not have the heart to refuse a request to play something inappropriate,even playing it in the church. And not refusing to play that song because of the person who asked for it is to prostitute yourself and thus your gift.
Boldness is the act of daring, it is not poetry. Boldness is not an article to be kept. Boldness is not rude, it is not stupid. Boldness is doing or saying something that most people would not dare to do or say. Bold is to be innovative, bold and brave.
John the Baptist was holy, just, bold and paid the price for it. You may think, “. It is better to make a music that does not bother anyone,” The root of the boldness of your ministry is not the amount of CDs you sell, boldness is the courage saying what is the light. Who knows that he or she will not be abandoned by God is bold. The Bible is full of accounts of men who were bold, who had the courage to be light, knowing they would not be abandoned. Keep well this phrase:
“Be to God as a bird that feels the shaking branch and continues to sing, knowing you have wings” (Don Bosco).
It is true that several times in your ministry you felt the “branch” shake? You had what gave security and suddenly it disappeared you did not have it. By losing the security run the risk of selling my identity. How many times without realizing it, in exchange for the applause you did what you had to do.
This bird is bold and continues to sing, because he knows he has wings. Let us return to our first love, to the time when we knew we had wings, at the time we did not need the applause to play.
Suddenly we were getting scared, because the “branch” has been shaking and we were closing our beaks, because we have forgotten that we have wings. God is calling you to get back in the boldness of the beginning, when there was not much structure. God promises that He will never leave you. Every time that you forget that, you run the risk of prostituting your gift.
Would be good if you went back to the boldness of the beginning of time when they called you crazy, fanatic, because you lived the radicality of the Gospel. I am not speaking of nostalgia, but remember that you have wings. It’s ridiculous when the bird forgets that he has wings and crawls! Boldness is to have discernment.
Fr. Fabio Andrade