Building Endurance
“Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
(Matthew 3:8)
“Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”
(Matthew 3:8)
The season of Advent brings us an opportunity to pay attention to the voice crying in the wilderness: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).
What are we being called to? What does it mean to repent?
Interior repentance “is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart… and entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1431)
Changing one’s life is not easy. If we say we are sorry, but are not interested in putting in the hard work required for change, are we truly sorry? Did we repent?
I’ll venture to say that most things that are worthwhile do not come easily. It takes a long time to create a new good habit, and it does not take long for it to disappear when we relax and let it go. We need endurance to prepare the way of the Lord.
Where will this endurance come from? From the One we turn to. Our help comes from the Lord. (Psalm 121:2)
Which scripture passage has provided me with encouragement in moments of need? If none comes to mind, I can ask God to guide me to one.
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to think in harmony with one another, in keeping with Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” Amen.
(Romans 15:5-6)
Ivonne Hernandez is a Catholic wife, mother, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, and President of Elisheba House. She is also a speaker and writer, and a member of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. Ivonne and her husband, who have three young adult sons, reside in Trinity, FL, where they serve as coordinators for the OCIA program at their parish, St. Peter the Apostle.
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