HOLY PERSEVERANCE IN SACRED LOVE
A gentle mother leads her little child along. She helps and holds it as she sees the need for it. She lets it take a few steps by itself in places that are less dangerous and very level. Sometimes she takes it by the hand and holds it steady. Sometimes she takes it in her arms and carries it. So too our Lord has a constant care to lead his children, that is, those who have charity. He enables them to walk before him and stretches out his hand in difficulties. He himself bears them in hardships he sees being otherwise unbearable to them. This has been declared in Isaiah: I am the Lord your God, who takes you by the hand and says to you, do not fear, I have helped you (Isa 41:30). So we should have great courage and most firm confidence in God and in his help. If we do not fail to respond to his grace, he will accomplish in us the good work of salvation. Thus, he has begun (Phil 6) working in us both to will and to accomplish, as the Holy Council of Trent assures us.
This guidance which the kindness of God makes of our persons continues from our initiation into charity till our final perfection. It is not finished until the hour of death. In this consists the great gift of perseverance, to which our Lord attaches the greater gift of eternal glory. He who perseveres till the end, he will be saved (Mt 10:22). This gift is nothing but the combination and sequence of various supports, solaces and helps whereby we continue in the love of God till the end. Like the education, bringing up and fostering of a child is no other thing than the many cares, helps, assistance and such other things a child needs. It is exercised and continued towards it until the child grows to an age at which it no longer needs them.
But continuing the help and assistance is not the same in all those who persevere. In some it is very brief, like those who are converted to God before their death. This happened to the good thief. It happened to the Sergeant who, seeing the constancy of St. James, made a profession of faith on the spot. Thus, he became a companion in martyrdom of the great apostle. So also it was with a blessed doorkeeper who was guarding the forty martyrs at Sebaste. When he saw one of them lose courage and gave up the palm of martyrdom, he took his place and became a Christian, a martyr and glorious all at once. So too it was with the notary mentioned in the life of St. Anthony of Padua, who had been all his life a false villain yet became a martyr in his death. So too it was with a thousand others, of whom we have seen and read that they had a happy death after living badly. Regarding these persons, they did not need all kinds of help unless they faced some great temptation. They could persevere for a short time only with charity given to them and assistance by which they were converted. For they arrived at the port without a voyage and made their pilgrimage in a single leap. God’s mercy powerfully made them do it at the right time. They were victorious before their enemies saw them as opponents. So their conversion and perseverance were almost identical. If we want to speak precisely, using the proper meaning of words, the grace that they received from God was completing their course immediately they had begun it. At the same time, it cannot be properly called perseverance. Because in effect it takes the place of perseverance in giving salvation, we include it under the name of perseverance. On the contrary, for many people, perseverance is much longer. It was so in the case of Anna the Prophetess, St. John the Evangelist, St. Paul the first hermit, St. Hilarion, St. Romuald and St. Francis of Paula. All these had need of a thousand different kinds of assistance according to the various adventures on their pilgrimage and according to its duration.
Perseverance is nevertheless the most desirable gift that we can hope for in this life. The Sacred Council of Trent says, “We can receive it only from God who alone can strengthen us when we are on our feet or raise us when we fall"(Rom 14:4). That is why we must continually ask for it by making use of the means which God has taught us for obtaining it. They are prayer, fasting, alms-giving, frequent reception of the sacraments, company of the good, hearing and reading Sacred Scripture.
The gift of prayer and devotion is generously granted to all those who willingly consent to divine inspirations. Consequently, it is in our power to persevere. Certainly I don’t mean to say, that our perseverance takes its source from our power. On the contrary, I know that it proceeds from God’s mercy. It is his precious gift. What I mean is that, although we have no power to bring about perseverance, still we have it in our power by means of our will, which we cannot deny to be in our power. Although God’s grace is needed to will to persevere, nevertheless, we have it in our power to make that act of will. God’s grace is never wanting to our will, and our will is not wanting to our power. Indeed, according to St. Bernard, all of us can truly say with the apostle [St. Paul]: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39). Yes, no creature can separate us from God’s love. Only we ourselves can leave it and forsake it of our own free will. Apart from this, nothing is to be feared in this regard.
So dear Theotimus, following the advice of the Council of Trent, we should place all our hope in God, who will bring to perfection the work of salvation that he has begun in us, provided, we are not wanting to his grace. We should not think that he who said to the paralytic, Go, do not sin any more (Jn 5:14) did not also give him power to avoid doing what he was forbidden. Certainly, God would never urge the faithful to persevere, unless he were ready to give them the power to do so. Be faithful until death he said to the Bishop of Smyrna, and I will give the crown of glory (Rev 2:10). Be on the watch, stand firm in faith, act courageously and comfort yourself and let everything you do be done in charity (1 Cor 16:13,14). Run, that you may obtain the prize (1 Cor 9:14). We should therefore with the great king ask from God many times for the sacred gift of perseverance and ask that he will grant it to us.
Lord God, my only hope, watch over me that I do not fall. At the time of my poor old age, when time renders me tired and my strength fails, let not your hand leave me (Ps 71:9).[1]
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[1] Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me, when my strength is spent (Ps.71: 9) NRSV