Endurance

At the end of today’s Gospel (Matthew 10:17-22), in which our Lord encourages his followers concerning future persecutions, our Lord says:

Whoever endures to the end will be saved.

Endurance is an interesting concept the day after Christmas: after we have successfully endured the long slog of shopping and wrapping and feasting – with Midnight Mass gloriously capping off our adventures in sleep deprivation.

Today’s reading and today’s Feast of St. Stephen reminds us that there are much worse things to be endured, including the hatred of the world: a hatred that is present even during Christmas (from Political Correctness’ prohibition on Christmas greetings to the burning of churches in India on Christmas Day to an anti-religious children’s film released in December).

It is important, of course, not to overstate – in what we say, think or feel – the difficulties we endure: the challenges of the holiday season are relatively minor and the whole world is NOT against us

But whenever things are indeed difficult to endure, today’s Gospel reminds us that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrated yesterday, has promised us the help of the Holy Spirit on whatever road we must walk in this world and, when the road ends, eternal salvation.