Have we the Courage of Dewi Sant?

Ordinary acts of bravery – the courage that brings one person to stand up for another.  In the story book and film of Divergent Tris, a young girl chooses as all young members of this society must, chooses her faction, the group she will live with.  Tris chooses to leave Abnegation, her faction which believes in being selfless, to join Danutless.  She moves away from everything she has known into an unknown world of bravery, courage, jumping on and off trains, riding impossibly high zip wires, climbing higher than you might ever imagine possible – Why you might ask?  ‘Because it is there’ answer those who do such things like running up mountains!  But for Tris, because she felt she no longer belonged to Abnegation, but to Dauntless- She felt she had what it takes to be dauntless, to conquer her fears and be free.  She finds far more than she expected. and is challenged far more than she could ever have expected.  Today we celebrate David – Member of the dauntless – of the saints.  Dewi Sant O Gymru Y Dewr,  The brave and courageous welsh hero who was actually a Bishop in Wales in the early centuries and defended the early Welsh Celtic Church against invasion.  He led a life of prayer, fasting and lived an ascetic life.  So was David Dauntless too?  And what about us, who would we choose?  could we be among the brave and fearless?  You have to be somewhat brave and courageous to stand up for the faith, especially as christians continue to be persecuted around the world, and we are lucky to be free to worship without fear.  To stand up for who you are is a courageous act to say, this is who I am.  That is what Tris does in Divergent – She makes the bold choice to identify herself with the faction of protectors and at the same time puts herself in danger by exposing who she is.  Are we willing to have this courage, the courage of David to be open.  We are called in Matthew to take up our cross and follow Jesus.  An instrument of pain and suffering.  It is an ordinary act of bravery to say who we are, but one which will open more doors than it closes.  Are we willing to have the courage of David to defend our faith against all comers and to preach so that the ground might rise up as we speak beneath our feet?    I wonder, who have we told this past week that we are observing Lent and all that might mean for us?  To whom have we had the courage to say, This is who I am – an ordinary act of bravery – to be open and honest and to acknowledge our true self in public, don’t underestimate how hard it might be.  We can read divergent and identify ourselves with the character Tris as she makes her way in the world, choosing for herself who to be – though we might not make the same choices.  We can look to David and see an inspirational Bishop and leader full of the Spirit of God – but now it is our turn to be courageous and brave, which faction do we choose, don’t believe that because this is a novel and fictional that our world is not split into groups, we must choose where we belong.  It is not written necessarily as the stark contrast in the film, but it is there.  The Christian faction is not the one of comfort that some suppose, it can offer it, but above all it is a life of disturbance, of upsetting the cart, of asking difficult questions, about being true to who we are and open about faith in the God who loves us.  Be courageous this Lent and have the heart of Saint David.