July 21, 2024

Sixteenth sunday in ordinary time

by Fr. Jonah Teller OP

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Fr. Jonah here, filling in while Fr. Boniface is away. Let’s talk about perseverance. 

No matter how much the internet may have wanted him to, Winston Churchill did not say, “If you’re going through hell . . . keep going,” but it’s a good point. Perseverance—persisting in doing something despite any difficulties—is vitally important. Near the end of his life, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, the very first bishop of the fledgling church in Ephesus (on the coast of southwest Turkey). In that letter, St. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Perseverance is a matter of keeping the faith, even in the face of obstacles. If you’re running a marathon, you don’t stop at mile 8. You finish the race.

In the Christian life, we are pilgrims, that is to say: we are not yet where we want to be. Heaven is our home, and we have to keep going to get there. We can make our way there with hope, though, because of the grace of Jesus Christ, who said of himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Call on him in times of distress, and keep going.

Have a good week!

In Christ,
Fr. Jonah, OP