“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Each of these three points are interconnected and rely on the other. When we persevere in prayer, we will have the inner strength to endure our afflictions, and we will rejoice in hope. When we endure in affliction, we realize God is helping us and we will continue to turn to him in prayer, and rejoice in hope. When we rejoice in hope even in times of affliction, we will endure with joy and be fueled by our prayer.

The enemy will tempt us to turn away from our prayer when afflicted, telling us that it doesn’t matter, that God does not hear our prayers. We need to resist and persist in our time of prayer and trust God is with us because he is. The enemy will tempt us with despair and direct us to focus on the problems we face and so be overwhelmed. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and retain our hope, trusting in his providence. The enemy will tempt us to give up and tell us we don’t have what it takes to continue. God will not allow anything to happen to us that he won’t give us the strength to overcome.

God is with us today. So let us rejoice in his love for us and be hopeful, endure through any challenges, and continue to persevere in prayer!

Photo: Persevering in prayer each evening! St. Vincent De Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, FL

Link to the Mass readings for Tuesday, November 7, 2023