Daily Meditation for January 12, 2023

Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Are you following through? Making a resolution is one thing, and we often do it with energy and passion. However, carrying out our good intentions leads us into a whole different landscape as we learn that perseverance is needed to make a resolution a reality, whether it’s deciding we’ll lose weight in this New Year or committing to a relationship. St. Benedict emphasizes this in the Rule. It is full of advice such as, “Hour by hour, keep careful watch over what you do” (Ch. 4:48). Anything that is worthwhile in life requires attention and dedication and calls us to rely on our will and sense of commitment in order to persevere on the path we have begun to walk. Perseverance and commitment may not glamorous, but they are the tools which enable us to achieve the most worthwhile things in life. May God grant you perseverance!

By Karen Rose, OSB