Grant Us the
Grace
to Persevere
A
couple of weeks ago on Sunday, the Gospel reading was Mark 6:7-13, in which
Jesus sends the Apostles out two by two to preach repentance and heal the
sick. One line of the Gospel really
struck me as I listened to it: “The Twelve drove out many demons, and they
anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
The
words that particularly struck me were, “The Twelve.” I had read this passage many times, but at
Mass it struck me, Judas was part of the Twelve. He went around and drove out demons and
healed the sick. He performed mighty
deeds in Jesus’s Name and saw the power and miracles It produced. And yet, in the not too distant future, he
would fall away. He would betray Christ
and take his own life in despair.
How
could he have turned on Jesus after having seen and done the things he
had? It was a rather humbling
consideration. Often we can fall into
the trap of becoming complacent in our Faith.
We become convinced of the truth of Catholicism, we give our lives to
Jesus, try to live in an upright manner, receive the incredible Graces He gives
us, and then often feel like we are safe and secure from ever falling away.
I
have seen in my life men who I would consider much stronger and holier than I
fall away. Priests who dedicated their
lives to Jesus with the most sincere of hearts who have betrayed their vows. Men who I had respected who became unfaithful
to their wives.
Now
I don’t contemplate these things in a spirit of judgment. And I know that the vast majority of priests
live virtuous lives dedicated to their Lord, while countless men commit
themselves to their wives and families faithfully. Yet there are those few, whom I admired, who
have fallen away.
What
happened to them? What happened to
Judas? And if they can fall, what
can happen to me? It shakes me out of my
complacency. And it is a reminder to all
of us that conversion is a continual process, and that sin remains a constant
threat.
I
recognize that when my prayer life begins to weaken, I begin to weaken. When I tolerate or rationalize small sins,
larger ones become much harder to resist.
God provides the Grace to live holy lives, but we must never forget that
we are in the middle of a war.
As
Scripture says: “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a lion looking
for someone to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in your Faith.” As Catholics
we should remember that this is true.
Our Lord has given us all the weapons we need to defeat the enemy, but
we must make use of them consistently.
Prayer,
fasting, the Eucharist, Confession, good works – all these are weapons, and
they discipline our flesh and our spirits so that we will not fall away.
God
has promised us the Grace to persevere, and with His help and with the use of
the weapons He has given us, we will.
But Judas should serve as a reminder that we are never secure enough to
become lazy or complacent.
Finally,
we should remember to pray for each other, and especially for our priests. They have become so busy, with so many
demands placed on them, it can be a challenge for them to nurture their own
spiritual lives. And there is nothing we
need more, nothing more powerful, than holy priests. So let us not forget to pray for them and
their spiritual lives. And let us follow
the example of the eleven that did not fall away, keep our focus on Jesus, and
persevere to the end.
