Perseverance in our life of faith
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1–2) These verses from the Letter to the Hebrews exhort believers to persevere in the life of faith by drawing strength from the witness of those who have gone before and, most especially, from the person of Jesus Christ. The "cloud of witnesses" refers to the faithful of the Old Testament, listed in the preceding chapter, whose lives of trust in God formed a spiritual lineage culminating in Christ. This great cloud surrounds the Church not merely as an audience but as a communion, encouraging, inspiring, and interceding. Their example is not a memory b...