June 2

FRATERNITY is resisting the temptation to withdraw inward

Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, our spiritual being is renewed day after day.  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16

Psychologist Julius Segal worked with the 52 Americans held captive by Iran for 444 days in the early 1980s. 
He listed four reasons why some of them not only survived the ordeal but also grew stronger as a result of it.
First, they resisted the temptation to withdraw into themselves. 
Second, they helped other captives.  Shifting attention from their own woes and reaching out to help others had a remarkable healing effect on them.  Third, they kept control of their lives.  One captive invited his guards to sit down each time they entered his room. “This was my space,” he said. “They were my guests.”  This tiny gesture helped him stay in control and resist becoming a passive victim.  Lastly, they learned to tap inner powers through prayer and meditation.  ~ Mark Link, S.J.

Which of these four guidelines would be most helpful in crisis situations?
How ready and willing are we to help the wife and children of a Brother Knight when disaster strikes?

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. ~ Saint Francis of Assisi