Everything significant in life requires courage. Whether it is asking someone on a date, starting a business, battling a disease, getting married, struggling to overcome an addiction, or sitting humbly with your God in prayer—life requires courage. It’s a prerequisite. 

The virtue of courage brings us to life and makes everything else possible. It is not the absence of fear. Courage is moral strength in the face of danger or difficulty, especially in the face of anything that opposes our faith. Courage allows us to stand in our fears and do what is good, right, just, and noble. 

Saint Barbatus of Benevento had a lot of reasons to be afraid. He lived in a region of Italy steeped in paganism and constantly under military attack. As a bishop, Barbatus quickly came to odds with the local population and even the rulers of the land. Yet, he preached the Christian faith at every opportunity, and directly confronted the disturbing and often violent pagan practices that were common at the time.

His confrontation with the local elites reached a head when Benevento was under siege by the Byzantine Emperor Constans II. The ruling class worshiped a sacred viper and a golden tree, hoping it would bring them relief from the Byzantine onslaught. Barbatus risked his own life by denouncing them and told them that the very reason things were going so terribly was because they lacked trust in the one, true God. After the retreat of the Byzantines, Barbatus was able to persuade the Duke to have the pagan items destroyed. 

Barbatus didn’t let fear stop him. He courageously lived his faith. The result? He helped Christianity flourish in a whole region of Italy.

You only get one shot at life. What would you do if you were able to move forward and do what is right even when you are afraid? Whatever it is, take one small step past your fears today, then take another step toward your hopes and dreams tomorrow.

Patron Saint of: Benevento, Italy

Also Known As: Saint Barbas

Feast Day: February 19