Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives,” says Jesus. Grit, perseverance, resilience are all characteristics that are praised in our society today. And indeed, not being defeated by adversity, but showing up stronger because of it, is something to be commended. But just how we secure our lives can be up for closer inspection.
Adversity can make us more generous, but it can also make us more tight-fisted. It can make us open up to others, but it can also lead to us being closed off. It can make us more trusting in Divine Providence or it can make us more calculating. But the Lord says, "You are not to prepare…I myself will give.” May we persevere with open hearts and with open hands, always ready to receive and then to give.