Fr. Denis Lemieux is giving advice on how not to be a coward:
I am reminded of a very funny bit from a Lily Tomlin routine where her character says “I always wanted to be someone, but I realize now I should have been more specific.” The truth of the matter is, we have to be more specific. We have to decide, not to be successful or strong or catch the wave (unless we are, in fact, surfing). Rather, we have to choose to be something real, do something that matters, some good thing outside ourselves that we care enough about to pour our whole heart and soul into it, whether we succeed or fail. I remember full well making my final promises in Madonna House in 1998, acutely and painfully mindful of my weakness and inability to live this vocation well at all, yet deciding simply that I would rather fail at MH than succeed somewhere else that I didn’t care about. I would rather give my all in some ‘hopeless’ endeavor that meant the world to me than be all rational and canny and calculating in something that I didn’t actually care two cents for. And it’s the same dynamic at play with all the trends and issues and preference cascades of the day. Whatever you think of, say, same-sex marriage, the last thing in the world you should think is ‘Well,everyone is getting on board with this, so I guess I should, too.’ Cowardice, that is—rank, mediocre, craven, cowardice. Be a Man, or a Woman, and think your own thoughts, and come to your own conclusions—don’t be bullied or rushed by the mendacious ninnies in the media-entertainment business who don’t know anything about anything and whose only concern is to accommodate themselves to a trend that isn’t there and to make everyone as mediocre and compliant as they themselves are so they can sell you whatever product they’re shilling (oops, there I go telling you what I think… better stop for today!). We should be content to be out of step, retrograde, ‘on the losing side of history’, or whatever… and be right, then to be heedless of right and wrong and constantly running to conform to the mores of our day. That is what it means to be strong and brave and ultimately to succeed in the task we have set for ourselves in life.
Wisdom.
Recognize it as such and pass it on.
Please.