Anger and Courage

As a minister, it seems almost absurd to admit it but my favorite role on stage was Joan of Arc. Theatre has been my passion from a very young age. I have taken on a variety of parts, many of them leading roles but none of them with the same degree of personal satisfaction as Joan of Arc.

One day while watching her flock of sheep, Joan receives a message through a vision of Saint Catherine commanding her to go to battle against the English to save her native France. Joan casts aside all the conventions of the fifteenth century when she lived, and dressed as a man rides into battle leading the French to victory. The play does not enact the battle scenes. Instead the drama consists of Joan defending herself in the trial leading up to her being burned at the stake.

What was most satisfying about playing that character is the certainty with which Joan challenges the established order. She is not afraid to speak and act for justice. She speaks her mind directly and without hesitation to the Judge, to the Archbishop, to the Nobleman, and even to the King himself. As you can imagine, the dignitaries are taken aback by her boldness. Imagine a young peasant woman challenging the authority of the law, the government, and the church!

Many viewed Joan of Arc as a strident and foolish woman. Some felt that her unconventional actions were evil in disturbing the status quo. She could be viewed as a failure in that she died so young. However, over the course of history she has become Saint Joan canonized in part for her refusal to recant to save herself from execution. She lived and died with integrity never compromising her beliefs.

Our lives are not like the historical Joan. God does not send messengers to direct our actions. As we go about our daily routines, an angel does not appear giving us a clear mission to follow. Instead, our lives are filled with so many messages, in the form of experiences, information, people, and news. We are constantly sorting through the relative values of programs, goals, ideas, and beliefs. For ultimately, all people want the greatest good for themselves, their families, and communities. It is the means for arriving at those goals that vary widely.

Augustine wrote: “Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are and courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” Like a messenger or a voice, anger arises within us when we recognize injustice. We may try to push injustice from our minds through activity or entertainment or food or alcohol or drugs, but even as we try to numb our thoughts, we always carry that knowledge in our hearts.

Anger in itself is not enough. Hope’s second beautiful daughter is courage; courage to see that things do not remain the way they are. It is easy to walk away resignation. It takes courage to speak directly and respectfully when someone’s words or actions have made us angry. To add our name to a petition, to write a letter to the editor, to work for a cause, to articulate our vision, to risk exposure, and having our views questioned, all take courage and a hopeful vision that change is possible. Even if the outcome is not exactly as we planned, we have succeeded in living with integrity by changing our own hearts.

We must recognize that we cannot reverse all of life’s injustices at once. One individual alone cannot end oppression in its many forms. It is essential that we share with one another what makes us angry and choose areas to focus our efforts.

Personally, I am angry that so many children around the world and close to home will go to bed hungry tonight. I hope that you will join me in a crusade to end hunger by taking to the streets of Newport on Saturday morning, April 29th as a part of the Aquidneck Island CROP WALK Against Hunger. You can walk for three or ten miles and join in an interfaith movement in our community. You can ask friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers to sponsor you. If you are unable or unavailable to walk, you can make a contribution of any amount.

For more information, check out www.cropwalk.org.

Register for the Cropwalk Here


Rev. Amy Bowden Freedman is the minister of Channing Memorial Church, Unitarian Universalist in Newport.