Apr 20 Thu
He who endures to the end will be saved. What is really important is that we persevere in our Christian vocation to the very end. “That passage of the Second Epistle to Timothy makes me shudder, when the Apostle laments that Demas has fallen in love with the present world and gone to Thessalonica. For a trifle and for fear of persecution, this man, whom St Paul had quoted in other epistles as being among the saints, had betrayed the divine enterprise.”

We know the difficulties, the enemies from outside and the enemies from within. But we also have the weapons to be victorious. Hence, “if the interior struggle ever becomes harder, it is a good opportunity to show that your Love is true. Once a person has begun to savor his self-giving to some degree, it would be a terrible fraud to give in to defeat. Don't forget that cry of St Paul: 'Who will deliver me from this body of death?' And hear God's answer in your heart: 'My grace is sufficient for you!'

“Fidelity is the perfection of love. Behind any sign of disenchantment in the life of a soul dedicated to God there is always a point of corruption and impurity. Fidelity, when it is whole and entire, is always joyful and unconditional.

“Let me insist, be faithful. This is something deeply embedded in my heart. If you are faithful, your service to souls and to the Holy Church will yield abundant spiritual fruit.” St Josemaría