Endurance in sport is cultivated with patience and time, training and conditioning, under the guidance of a good coach.
In the same way, we seek to build endurance in our spiritual lives with Jesus guiding us. Our journey to spiritual maturity is a life-long process of growing in virtue. This quest for holiness requires patience and time, training and conditioning with an unwavering commitment to a sacramental life, prayer, study and service to others. It isn’t easy, but there is no greater goal for the Christian.
Psalm 136 reminds us that God is Endurance as his love and mercy endures forever. He never gives up on us and desires only to bring us closer to him.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
for his mercy endures forever;
Praise the God of gods;
for his mercy endures forever;
Praise the Lord of lords;
for his mercy endures forever.
We see in the lives of the saints these amazing people who endured temptations, difficulties and trials of every kind. We could use the words ‘saint’ and ‘endurance’ as synonyms since there every saint ended their lives with an enduring love of God and neighbor.
St. Gregory of Nyssa said of endurance, “He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.”
When we reflect on St. Gregory’s words, we see that spiritual endurance is just that — going from beginning to beginning — every day, every situation, every conversation, every interaction, literally every moment of every year is a new beginning for us to do what we know we should do — love more fully to become the person God desires us to be on our journey from this world to the next.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque said, “Let us begin in earnest to work out our salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even He Himself, who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves.”
So we work side-by-side with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, with the loving intercession of Our Lady, to grow in holiness, to love more perfectly, to forgive ourselves and others, and to share the truth of the Gospel each as we are called.
Just as endurance in sport requires both mental and physical work, there is great work for us to do in the spiritual life. Let us see each day is an opportunity to grow closer to God as we train to have more faith, hope and love. May each day be filled with with training in virtue so that we persevere with love when the going gets tough.
As athletes depend on their coaches, peers, tools and training methods, we too, in the spiritual life, have help … from the Holy Trinity, our sisters and brothers in Christ, the great Communion of Saints and all that Holy Mother Church gives us so that we can grow and endure with love.
We can be inspired by the subject of endurance in Scripture. From Deuteronomy 31, “Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.”
We do not run this race alone. God is with us to aid us in this pursuit.
Let us pray: Father God, give us endurance in the spiritual life and help us to trust in the strong and mighty shield of your love which endures forever, Amen.