A November to Remember
By your perseverance, you will secure your lives. Luke 21:19
Some time ago, one of our Holy Cross brothers was partially paralyzed by a severe stroke. His doctor told him that only by persistent exercise would he recover. He took his doctor’s advice seriously. Every time I visited him, I found him huffing and puffing heroically through his exercises. He persevered so diligently that he completely recovered his independence and was able to return to teaching. His perseverance secured his life.
This brother was an example for me, and I’ve often used his story in my homilies. Through perseverance in prayer, we come to know Jesus. Through perseverance in imitating his actions, we come to love others as Jesus does. Through perseverance in love, we become the persons God created us to be.
Lord, it is your power working within me that enables me to secure my life. May I persevere in trusting you to help me accomplish what I cannot do by myself.
Fr. Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C. (1939-2021)
Originally published November 14, 2010
