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The name Job has come to be associated with suffering. It is also associated with patience. He suffered a lot, a whole lot. Yet, he suffered patiently. Today, we are given another facet of the character of Job. He was not only a patient man; he was also a persistent man. He was a persistent man, especially at prayer. He wrestled with God, discussed with God, argued with God, and practically squeezed the neck of God and twisted God’s arm, asking God to explain to him what he was going through. No, he would not withdraw. He would not withdraw from a fight, even if the fight would be between God and him. He wrestled with God and persisted and insisted that God give him an explanation for what he was going through. But, he did not run away from his trials. He only asked for an explanation. He only insisted that God explain to him what was going on. He would not take silence for an answer. He would not take “no” for an answer. This is admirable for me because when God keeps quiet, we also tend to keep quiet. But when God kept quiet with Job, Job made a lot of noise and created a lot of fuss because he insisted, “Talk to me and explain to me.”
The feast day for today is also about persistence. This time it is not persistence in prayer. It is persistence in loving. St. Theresa was a contemplative Carmelite. She was not in the limelight, not a celebrity, and her life was too simple. Therefore, from the outsiders’ point of view, she was in trouble because seemingly she could not be an example of loving when she was hidden behind the cloister doors. Yet it is from St. Theresa that we learn that we must persist in putting love into everything we do. It is from her also that we learn that when we pick up that needle on the floor and we do it with love, we are going to save souls. That simple gesture of picking up a needle, when it is done with love, will save souls. St. Theresa’s persistence was not about prayer; it was persistence in putting love into every act, no matter how simple. When we put love into everything, no matter how simple, that simple thing becomes great. When Theresa was brought to the Vatican, in those days when elevators were very rare, she rode the elevator in the papal apartments and was so amazed. She marveled at how she could go up so quickly. She wrote in her later years that “Love is like that. It is like an elevator that brings you to God quickly, no matter how simple the action may be.”
The word for today is PERSISTENCE. Do not give up on doing what is good. Do not give up on prayer. Much more, never give up on loving.
DO NOT GIVE UP!
Job 2:10
Love Like Jesus
