Perseverance

Perseverance is a virtue that all of us who are members of CUSA really need in abundance.  Be it issues of constant pain or constant frustration, every person who struggles with a chronic illness or with a disability knows that persevering in spite of our difficulties is not something that we can take for granted.  It would be easy to simply “give up.” 

The local media likes to feature stories of people who triumph over adversity.  We hear stories of veterans who return from war with severe disabilities, of homeless students who graduate with honors, of older people who gain a diploma late in life, and even of children who fight through difficulties to achieve a worthwhile goal.  Such stories are heartwarming.  There isn’t a one of them that I don’t love hearing.  At the same time, I know that there are hundreds of stories that never get told, stories of people who have struggled since birth or since childhood with a disability, stories of people who have learned of a catastrophic illness later in life.  No one will ever tell their stories.  They are too numerous and downright common place.

St. Paul included a hymn in his second letter to St. Timothy that CUSANS might want to consider committing to memory:

If we have died with him we shall also live with him;
if we persevere we shall also reign with him.

But if we deny him he will deny us.  If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

(2 Timothy 2:11b-13)

Once again, St. Paul hits the nail right on the head.  Whether St. Paul uses his familiar images of an athletic contest or his equally familiar images of giving birth, there is no doubt that he understood the "problem" of suffering in this world. He had gone through his own struggles and had found Jesus in them. As we know from history, he also suffered death for the sake of his faith, following in the footsteps of his Savior, Jesus.

Perseverance is one of those virtues that is cherished by many and applies to so many of life's venues.  For those who suffer from a chronic illness or disability, for those who are battling a particular temptation, for those who are in recovery from any sort of addiction, perseverance is the watchword not only for today, but for the rest of our lives.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator