Daily Thought For November 24, 2021
By Your Perseverance You Will Save Your Lives
Lectio
Luke 21:12–19
Meditatio
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Who wants to reflect on persecution and possible martyrdom? Yet, here they are in today’s Gospel. We can’t honestly think that this passage isn’t meant for us. So what can we take with us for today and the future?
I believe we can start with humility. Saint Augustine, painfully aware that many Christians had apostatized, wrote that we could never be sure that we’d have the strength to endure martyrdom. This thought, he said, should make us humble.
But then we can move on to confidence—not in ourselves, but in Jesus. In this same passage, the Lord says he will enlighten his followers as to what to say when brought before those hostile to the faith. This indicates that whatever might befall us, Jesus will be with us in our hour of need. But we have to ask for his help instead of caving in. We have to let him be enough for us. He is the Faithful One (see Rev 3:14).
Now we come to one of Luke’s favorite words, hypomonē, which translates into English as perseverance or patient endurance. At the end of this Gospel passage, Jesus tells us that by exercising this virtue we will secure our lives, being victorious even in death.
The twentieth century was an age of martyrs, and the twenty-first seems to be continuing the trend. But if we look at geography and percentages, most of us aren’t likely to undergo martyrdom in the traditional sense. We can suffer other martyrdoms, however, such as patiently bearing intense pain, depression, loss of independence, or deprivation of cherished possessions—situations that may accompany advancing age or result from unfortunate circumstances.
In such situations, by humbly trusting in Jesus, the Faithful One, and persevering in the good, Christ’s followers will secure their lives.
Oratio
Jesus, Lord, you are the Faithful One, living and true. I trust you to be with me in my hours of greatest need. May I never think that I’m alone, even if I can’t sense your presence, even if I’m experiencing a spiritual night. May I turn to you for strength in the dark and difficult days that I’m going through now or that may come in the future. With your presence and support, I can get through anything!
Contemplatio
Lord, lead me on.
Daughters of St. Paul. (2011). Ordinary Grace Weeks 18–34: Daily Gospel Reflections. (M. G. Dateno & M. L. Trouvé, Eds.) (pp. 304–305). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.