Persistence in the spiritual life is important. Most people, especially as they age, develop spiritual practices that help them but do not always bring them comfort or solace. Nevertheless, they continue to pray, reflect and serve others. They do this because they know that the spiritual life is a pilgrimage that demands consistency and faith. When pilgrims learn to accept the difficult roads they are asked to travel, they discover ways to seek God and God's will even when they experience few consolations. When believers place all their trust in God, they know and come to accept that even when God seems very far way, they need not despair.
The mission of St Francis de Sales to the Calvinists is a good example of this. When Francis proposed to his friends that they organize themselves and go to Switzerland to preach to the Calvinists, everyone laughed at him. Undeterred, Francis left for Switzerland with a cousin only to be rejected everywhere he turned. People slammed doors in his face and threw rocks at him, but Francis persisted even when no one listened. After three years he had not made a single convert but, convinced that his was the work of God, he slipped his sermons under people's doors. Eventually the Swiss listened, and many thousands returned to their Catholic faith.
Today, keep praying even if it feels like no one is listening.
What are you most persistent about in the pursuit of God?
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