Never Give Up

by: Riva Riguera, SrD

Jesus told the people that a day will come when all that they see will be in chaos. They asked him when this will happen and what the signs are. Jesus told them to not be deceived and to be not terrified. “Before the world ends, they will persecute you because of my name. You will be hated and some of you will be put to death, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance, you will secure your lives.”

Upon reading the gospel, I began to question my faith. Do I really follow what Jesus just had said? Do I believe His words or just listen and forget? Am I deceived by others or too terrified to act? The truth is I don’t really know the real answer to those questions. Like last year, there was this one time that I really questioned God. Why did He allow certain events to happen? Did I do something wrong to deserve such a thing? I’d really want to do what Jesus says, but, as humans, we get scared. The fear of not being accepted and of being rejected by others sometimes makes me do what I should not and vice versa. Also, as a human, I can be gullible and may be easily deceived by others. I was deceived of being weak and of being helpless.  However, by reading this gospel, I have become more aware of the situation.

This gospel asks us to overcome our fear and gullibility. We are asked to be brave & be strong, and to persevere no matter how hard life may be. For me, I would stop thinking about being weak. I would always do my best and not be hindered by pain and other obstacles life may bring. This year being the last year in Zobel, I promise myself to not give up. There may be tons of stressful work in school, at home, and in other aspects of my life, but I will not let these things pull me down. With God always being there to guide the way and give a helping hand, I know that there is nothing to regret.

We must always remember to never give up. Why? It’s because God is always there for us. We may face all kinds of problems, even death! However, if we keep our faith in Him and continue to fight for what is right till the very end and persevere in whatever life may bring, I am sure that we will achieve what we all have always dreamt of: eternally being peaceful, secure, and happy with God.