June - Perseverance becomes faithfulness

May 21 to June 21

Balance experienced as progress is perseverance.

For man only progresses towards the true form of world phenomena by tirelessly penetrating them with his own being. This progress does by no means first begin where it is fully transparent for self-observation. Rather, the true motivation underlying all perseverance is the fact that every activity is derived more or less consciously from the archetypal activity of thinking, that the success of every outwardly directed activity depends on the meeting of one’s own spirit with the spirit latent in things, and that we thereby not only shape the object of our activity, but also ourselves.  All learning and ability is based on that. This is the meaning of Hegel’s saying: “Der Bildende bildet sich selbst”. (All education is self-education) By persevering, we are therefore true to the mandate of self-formation implanted in us. Only such faithfulness enables us to remain true to a task, to a person.  Faithful is the one who, by working ceaselessly to make something of himself, fulfills what he owes the world and the people connected to him by destiny.

Thus perseverance becomes faithfulness.

A meditation of such faithfulness is the Prologue to the Gospel of John. (For it proclaims the Word that we hear in ourselves when we remain true to ourselves, to others and to our task by persisting against all odds.