The Grace of Holy Perseverance

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, one way to contemplate how we want to be in the world in the year ahead is to think of a word we can use as sort of a mantra to echo through the year. In a way, my word was given to me by the community when I began my canonical novice year, as sister after sister told me, “I wish you the grace of holy perseverance.”

In 2018, my main focus needs to be perseverance in my monastic studies and prayer. If Anna, the prophetess mentioned in the story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple, can withdraw from the world and pray for more than 50 years, I can certainly do it for another six months!

Perseverance is also a quality greatly needed in our society today—especially perseverance in advocacy for persons without health care, for children facing deportation because they were brought to the US illegally (“Dreamers”), and for the earth itself as it is endangered by global warming and overconsump-tion. As Elie Wiesel said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

At a time when the world is greatly in need of squeaky wheels, may we all be blessed with the grace of holy perseverance.