Ascension Thursday, May 9, 2013
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
I can remember as a 24-year old leaving home to enter my first year of formation to become a religious. This was September 8, 2011, three days before 9/11. These were very strange times! The first major attack on United States soil in a long time. So many died from these attacks. Many people knew or were related to people who perished in New York City, at the Pentagon, or Shanksville, PA. There was a real uncertainty about our safety in the future and at any moment.
He was “cut to the heart” in discovering Christian captivesSt. Peter Nolasco was shocked and moved in finding Christians held captive and in danger of losing their faith. Read more about his heroic life and what he did about it on the website of the .
Visit the Mercedarians’
It was in this climate, that three of us entered the postulancy program for the Order of the BVM of Mercy. Many challenges would await us in this new life. Several friars and sisters of our community gave us the advice to always “pray for the grace of perseverance.” When I heard this I thought “Okay… I am not sure what that means.”
Grace – the life of heaven
Over time, Fr. Eugene, our novice master, and others would explain to us that grace is a gift from God which nobody can earn. It is the very life of heaven given so that we might live the supernatural life here on earth. We receive Sanctifying Grace at Baptism. This grace is given to enable the Christian to fulfill the particular call to a vocation and the universal call to holiness. My classmates and I would pray for this “grace of perseverance” as we learned how to live a new life “one day at a time.”
Certainly there were many painful times during those first few years of formation, but this is the case with all true vocations. There is no such thing as a perfect vocation or happy ever-after this side of heaven. In fact, our vocation is supposed to be a path to everlasting life. In order to obtain the gifts that God wants to give us in our vocation we must grow in the virtue of perseverance. A virtue is a good habit which must be developed each day with the help of God’s grace. Perseverance is the virtue which inclines us to persist in the practice of good in spite of the difficulties involved in it. This can all be summed up in the closing prayer for today, “…kindle in our hearts a longing for the heavenly homeland and cause us to press forward…” toward it. This pressing forward, despite the obstacles, is perseverance.
Devastated – humanly speaking
The disciples surely needed the grace of perseverance after the Ascension of the Lord. Only 40 days before, Jesus was crucified and murdered in the most heinous way. The disciples fled and abandoned the Lord in His time of need. Yet, Christ rose from the dead and walks with his disciples for 40 days. Their “hearts were on fire” as they experience the presence of the Risen Lord. What joy they felt as Christ forgave them and strengthened their faith. Then, Jesus announces that he will be ascending to the Father. Humanly speaking, the disciples must have been devastated. How could Jesus leave them again? The disciples knew how weak they were because just 40 days before they had abandoned the Lord. Now the Jewish leaders were even more upset at the rumors of Christ’s Resurrection.
It is at this time that Christ tells them three different ways to persevere with patience: to “stay in” the city and “to wait” for the promise of the Father. As Jesus is taken up before their eyes, the disciples are left staring up into the heavens. They long to go with Christ and be free of the burden of spreading the Gospel. Peter and the rest feel abandoned, lacking faith and hope for the future.
Nine days of intense prayer
It is at this moment that they turn to prayer. For nine days they pray for the strength and consolation of the promised Holy Spirit. It is the first novena in recorded history. We all know how this story ends. The disciples take the Gospel courageously to the end of the earth. With the perseverance given by the Holy Spirit, they are able to overcome all obstacles to spread the Gospel. All but John will offer their lives for the Good News.
This is not a natural gift that the disciples were given to persevere. Naturally, they were weak uneducated men; afraid to leave the upper room. God give them grace of perseverance endure all sorts of trials and temptations which come from their vocation.
All vocations need perseverance
In our culture of non-commitment where over 50% of marriages end in divorce, we certainly need the supernatural grace of perseverance. Each day we must ask for this grace to persevere in spite of all the difficulties which come from all vocations. Some days we need to pray to persevere through the year. Other days we just need the grace to persevere through each hour. This grace gives us the ability to see the ups and downs of our vocation with the eyes of faith. We can recognize God working through the crosses to enable us to grow in holiness.
For our vocation is given to us to help us to prepare us for heaven, not merely this earth. So let us pray for perseverance in this life, but especially for the next life. This is final perseverance and its gift is life forever in heaven. The fulfillment of Grace in paradise.