I wrote this the day before I found out that my school would be closing after the Fall semester. I think it is funny because everything I mention in this about not giving up was something I saw come true in the last weeks of the school.
Dear Brother and Sisters,
I am addressing this as a letter because I was told I write much better when I am writing to someone. I would like to share this quote with you:
Though the path is plain and smooth for men of good will, he who walks it will not travel far, and will do so only with difficulty, if he does not have good feet: that is, courage and a persevering spirit. - St. John of the Cross
It is about that time of the semester where everything is much harder than it should be. Students just want to go home for Christmas, students aren’t thinking about grades anymore, most of them just want to pass, this is how I at least feel. Along with this a lot of us seniors feel like we must have plans for our lives ready to go before we graduate. This is all adds up to a bunch of stress and makes me just want to just give up.
Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring. – St. Catherine of Siena
This quote really helps me to know why I must preserve. Nothing great is ever achieved without a little struggle. When you really think about it, school isn’t really that hard. The worst thing that can happen is that you fail. It is in times like these, when the consequences are not severe, that we must persevere. I think God allows us to feel discouragement sometimes so that we know that we should be relying on him. God give us strength and encouragement in these small matters so that we can persevere in things that are much bigger. I also think the devil can uses times like this to make us feel like we aren’t enough and must do more. The devil can use these times to make us fail to turn to God. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage we need. I think the Lord wants us to live out every second of our lives as if it was our last. He wants us to fight for him in everything we do. Jesus wants you to invite Him in and allow Him to guide all that we do.
I will end with a quote from St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa about perseverance:
Perseverance is taken in three ways.
First, to signify a habit of the mind whereby a man stands steadfastly, lest he be moved by the assault of sadness from what is virtuous.
Secondly, perseverance may be called a habit, whereby a man has the purpose of persevering in good unto the end. And in both these ways perseverance is infused together with grace, even as continence and the other virtues are.
Thirdly, perseverance is called the abiding in good to the end of life. And in order to have this perseverance man does not, indeed, need another habitual grace, but he needs the Divine assistance guiding and guarding him against the attacks of the passions. And hence after anyone has been justified by grace, he still needs to beseech God for the aforesaid gift of perseverance, that he may be kept from evil till the end of his life. For to many grace is given to whom perseverance in grace is not given.
-St. Thomas Aquinas
Just my thoughts.
Duncan
Go with God
