Local Eucharistic Revival
Persecution and Perseverance
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
"They will persecute you - you will be hated because of My Holy Name - but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives" (Luke 21:12-19).
As we become more like Jesus in our walk with Him, we begin to face some of the challenges He did. Why wouldn’t we? When we experience a conversion, the events that make up our daily routine don’t remarkably change, but we do. So we should expect our outcomes to change. We are tested when we choose God first. If we were shown some of the trials we would encounter before we began our new life in Christ, we may likely have withdrawn.
But along the way, Jesus fulfills his promise, "I myself will give you wisdom . . . ." Our old tactics begin to look foolish to us. He gives us a portion of His knowledge so we can answer challenges to our faith. He quiets the words in our hearts so we won’t reply angrily and chooses words for us that restore and nourish. He gives us patience to endure our sufferings, understanding to simply forgive, joy to effortlessly love.
We persevere to secure our eternal lives. Through the Wisdom He gives us, Jesus shows others how to secure theirs.
Elizabeth
On this Feast of the Miraculous Medal, let's pray together,
Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee and for those who do not have recourse to thee, especially the enemies of the Church and those recommended to thee, Amen.
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About the Author
Elizabeth Tichvon is a Catholic writer and Consecrated Marian Catechist under the Direction of His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. Always faithful to the Magisterium, she spreads and defends the Catholic faith as a true witness of Christ, confessing the name of Jesus boldly, never ashamed of the Cross.
Elizabeth became aware of the need for the New Evangelization while in the two years of her formation as a Marian Catechist and wrote over 200 published meditations on Sacred Scripture from the daily Liturgy of the Word for various Catholic websites, and following Jesus' example, now teaches through her own parables so that by sharing her stories through social media, might bring others closer to the heart of Christ. She is currently a regular columnist at Catholic365 and as a Marian Catechist, her spiritual life is the foundation of her writing.
She completed UCLA's Graduate Program With Honors and worked as a Paralegal for 32 years before retiring from Chrysler's Office of the General Counsel in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
