Perseverance

Marriage is no easy thing.  It is rather, the most extraordinary thing to be considered in all the world. 

Sacrament of Marriage (Pietro Longhi)

I have long reflected on the vocation of Marriage.  I have said many times before and I shall continue to maintain that this vocation is a sacrament because it requires a very special kind of Grace to ensure that two people can stay together in a loving family way for the remainder of their Earthly lives.

Marriage is no easy thing.  It is rather, the most extraordinary thing to be considered in all the world.  Just think of how marriage comes about.  Two people – a man and a woman – who are complete strangers to each other, come together and make a commitment to be together always until death.  These two people grow up in different families and with different values.  They live different lives and have different friends.  Often, they are slightly different ages.  And these two strangers come together in a way that is completely insane.  They come together and decide that they shall partner each other through life.  Whatever may happen in the future, whatever may be in store for each of them – no matter how their fortunes may fall in the world or whether they will be healthy or sickly – they choose to tie their lives together forever…

And then – after that first euphoric feeling of love passes by – and the reality of life sets in, then comes the real test…  That is when perseverance is the only way to endure.  And God grants married couples the Grace to persevere.  My maternal grandmother, who was married to my maternal grandfather for over sixty years before he passed away (may God rest their souls), would often say that a wife needed to make herself happy because many times a husband would not choose to do that for her.

And I have been reflecting on that as I have been reflecting on the words of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who was speaking about that perseverance more generally as it applies to our faith…

“If, then, we wish to persevere and to be saved—for no one can be saved without perseverance—we must pray continually. Our perseverance depends, not on one grace, but on a thousand helps which we hope to obtain from God during our whole lives, that we may be preserved in his grace. Now, to this chain of graces a chain of prayers on our part must correspond: without these prayers, God ordinarily does not grant his graces. If we neglect to pray, and thus break the chain of prayers, the chain of graces shall also be broken, and we shall lose the grace of perseverance.” (Saint Alphonsus Liguori, “The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori” page 201).

For it seems that perseverance is just another word for faith.  It is another way of saying that we will choose to look with the eyes of faith at the partner that we have chosen, and we will choose to accept that God does not make mistakes and is going to turn all things to the GOOD…

And that sort of perseverance takes a mighty big amount of Grace to endure…

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.