“A person who does not stop going forward will eventually arrive, though perhaps late.”
- St Teresa of Avila
More and more, I realize how important the virtue of perseverance is for the spiritual life. I’ve been working through a book on virtue, which I will write more about in the future, but one of the ideas in which the author frames virtue, is that virtues don’t exist in an absolutely pure state.
In other words, a lived virtue is always a blend. For example, patience often comes with insight, or wisdom, or strength. These things have to work together because it really doesn’t make sense if they didn’t. Patience, by definition, implies a strength to endure.
Perseverance is a common ingredient into these blended virtues because it adds the component of time.
Virtue is a decision in this moment, but also moment to moment, across our lifetime.
That’s what I think of when I read St. Teresa’s words. Even if we’re moving slow in our life of virtue and we’re growing slowly — just keep going, keep trying, and we will always arrive, perhaps just a little later than we expected.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, You know our strengths and You know our weaknesses. Grant us the virtue of perseverance so that we may always keep moving forward, toward You. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
