The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Optional Memorial)

Let perseverance be perfect.

Perseverance is one of those character traits that everyone values. Being able to stay the course when things get difficult is often the deciding factor between success or failure. Clearly, James thinks perseverance is crucial to our faith—so important that he equates it with perfection. He even writes that we should “consider it all joy” when we encounter trials because these trials give us the opportunity to grow in our ability to persevere (James 1:2).

But we know how hard it can be to persevere, especially in our walk with the Lord. We get tired of fighting temptation. We grow weary of sacrifice. We wonder if God is really hearing our prayers. We don’t know if we can keep loving people who don’t return our love.

So how do we stay the course? How do we keep moving forward in trust and confidence when our faith is tested and we are ready to give up?

We can take our cue from Jesus. He must have grown weary walking from village to village, with nowhere to lay his head. He must have grown tired of being jostled by crowds who wanted only to touch him and be healed. He must have been frustrated by the constant attacks from some of the religious leaders. But he just kept going. Every day was hard and demanding, but the Father gave him the grace to endure—all the way to the end, to his death on the cross.

We too can rely on God’s grace to persevere. His grace doesn’t necessarily mean that things will get easier; sometimes we just have to keep going, as Jesus did. But we can trust that somehow we’ll find the strength we need to keep pressing on. That “somehow,” of course, is the power of God’s grace flowing into us.

Every one of us has challenges we must persevere through, whether that’s a difficult relationship, a strong temptation, or a chronic health issue. So as you pray for the grace to persevere through your own trial, pray too for all the other readers of The Word Among Us who need that same grace. Then take comfort in knowing that many people are lifting you up right now, just as you are doing for them!

“Jesus, help me to persevere through all the difficulties I encounter today.”

Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76
Mark 8:11-13