Cedric Pisegna - God Will Take Us Through (01/22/2026)
Father Cedric reflects on Jesus' words in Luke 21 about the end times, warning of wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and persecution of believers, yet assuring that through perseverance disciples will gain their lives and not a hair of their head will perish. He sees current events as birth pangs of greater tribulations to come, but emphasizes hope for authentic disciples. The core message is that perseverance—patient endurance through trials—defines true discipleship and leads to victory and eternal life in Christ.
Introduction to Authentic Discipleship and End Times
I’m Father Cedric Pisegna, the host of «Live With Passion». Welcome, and thank you for tuning in. This is a series about authentic discipleship. Jesus spoke about the end of time, and he said this in Luke chapter 21, he said, «Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. There will be terrors, great signs from the heaven. You will be delivered up by your parents even, brothers, kinsmen, friends, » they will deliver you up, «Some of you they will put to death; you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But not one hair of your head will perish. By perseverance you will gain your lives».
Jesus' Storm Warning
In this discourse, which scholars call the eschatological discourse, that word eschatological means the end times, Jesus gives us a storm warning, he is predicting and prophesying about the terrors and the hardships that are to come. It’s an ominous prediction about the end of the world. He said that there will be wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, supernatural signs. Not only would there be earthquakes, great earthquakes, not only wars, nation against nation. Dare I say World War III? When we talk about earthquakes, dare I say California falling into the sea? Who knows what this is gonna be like? Terrible things are going to happen. In the Catholic Church, we read these readings at the end of the liturgical year, the beginning of advent, that we will be ready for this, not caught off guard when Jesus comes again and when all these destructive events happen. In fact, Jesus taught, «Lift up your heads, for your redemption is at hand». Pray that you will stand and be worthy to stand before the Son of Man when he comes in glory.
Preparing for Christ’s Coming
In other words, the season of advent that we have in the Catholic Church is to prepare us, to get us ready for the events of the end of the world, for the end of time, when Jesus will come. In fact, the early church used to cry out, «Maranatha, » «Come Lord Jesus, » crying out for Jesus to come in glory. Already, the birth pangs are occurring. I love what Paul the Apostle said, I think of this often, «Our salvation is closer now than when we first accepted the faith». We are progressing as a humanity, we are getting closer and closer to this. The birth pangs are already here, the plague of the pandemic, devastating hurricanes are happening, there’s a war going on with Russia and the Ukraine, mass shootings. There’s a humanitarian crisis at our border, there’s droughts and starvation.
Are We in the End Times?
«Is this the end of the world»? That’s what people are asking, «Is this it, are we living in the end times»? Well, strictly speaking, I have to tell you we are living in the end times, because Paul the Apostle wrote, this is in 1 Corinthians, he wrote that we are now at, «The end of the ages». But what he meant was from the time of Jesus to the end of the world is the end of the ages. So, officially, we are in the end of times, but is it the end of the world? There are many people thinking that our generation is the last generation, that this is it. Some ministries are agreeing with this, some ministries on TV. They talk about the coming rapture, although there’s a lot of confusion about the rapture.
According to the scriptures, there will be a three and a half year period, a tribulation period like we’ve never seen before. When people talk about the rapture, there’s a pre-trib rapture, a mid-trib rapture, and a post-trib rapture. People, with the best of intentions, are in disagreement about the rapture and when this rapture would occur, if there will be a rapture. But trust me, nobody wants to be alive during this tribulation period, this three and a half year period that the Bible talks about where the Antichrist will reign and Christians will be put to death. There will be wars, great earthquakes, signs in the sky, unlike anything that we have ever seen, you don’t want to be alive when this happens, because Christians will be persecuted and put to death, even by their parents, Jesus said. This will be an unprecedented, horrific time.
The Great Tribulation Ahead
Are we at the end of the world now? I don’t think so, I think we have the birth pangs, but as Jesus clearly taught, «Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, » World War III, whatever that’s gonna be, earthquakes like we’ve never seen, dare I say millions of people being killed? Christianity will become illegal like it was way back in the days of Rome, martyrs, people being put to death, even by their parents, great distress, tribulation. When I talk about that tribulation period of three and a half years, the wrath and the distress, people will die of fright, a time of unprecedented chaos and death unlike anything we have ever seen. Then Jesus will come to end it all and start a new creation, the second coming of Jesus. The church has taught this for 2,000 years. And Jesus said, «Nobody knows the day or the hour, only the Father, » but we can read the signs of the times.
As I said, the birth pangs are occurring, and the end will come. Jesus tells us that we will not be, we being disciples, and this is a series about discipleship, disciples will not be exempt from all this, from the trials and the sufferings, the adversity. We know this from history, the martyrs that we have had in our church, and the martyrs that are still occurring in the 20th century, as John Paul II wrote. He talked about that the 20th century has had more martyrs than all the other centuries combined, there is a great persecution of the church.
Disciples Face Tribulations Too
But our problem right now in our own individual life probably isn’t martyrdom, but we all have problems, like growing older, physical sufferings, tribulations of every sort, grieving and getting sick, COVID, the flu, addictions, depression, loneliness, stress, fear. This is the stuff of being human, and as a disciple we are not exempt from these sufferings, we too have to go through. Discipleship is a journey of going through, of growing through, of allowing God to work in us as we face these difficulties and tribulations. And along with the ominous predictions, Jesus gives us hope, I want to concentrate on that hope. We aren’t exempt. Remember what Jesus said, «In the world you will have tribulation; but cheer up»! Have hope, «I have overcome the world».
As disciples we have a living hope that instead of being overwhelmed, we are going to overcome. I love that. Not a hair of our head will be harmed, Jesus said. In other words, God will take us through whatever tribulation we have to deal with. That is our heritage, our blessing as being a disciple, we are going to go through to the other side.
The Power of Perseverance
And as Jesus taught, and this is all about perseverance: by perseverance, patient endurance, «By patience, you will win your soul». Really important as a disciple, an authentic disciple, you must be patient, you must press on, you must endure. Christianity was never meant to be a sprint, it is a marathon, by perseverance, «By patient endurance you will win your soul». Not a hair of our head will be harmed. Persevere, one of the hallmarks of being a disciple, persevere, that means not quitting, you don’t give up, you endure. Paul the Apostle put it well when he said, «This one thing I do, I press on to the goal». It’s that pressing on in the journey, to be steadfast, firm, unshakeable, strong, immovable, determined and tenacious, especially in the face of hardships. You don’t give up.
Examples of Perseverance
I think about some modern day examples with television, Christian television. I think about Paul and Jan Crouch, who founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and now Matt and Laurie Crouch. And all the difficulties and the people that have come against them and the money problems that they have been having to endure, and how they persevered, and now their network, Trinity Broadcasting Network, is broadcasting the truth all around the world. See, perseverance leads to fruitfulness, and fruitfulness leads to endurance, and endurance leads to salvation. Adversity can lead to advancement, problems to promotion, tribulations to triumph. It’s the hardships in life that really define us and make us strong. I was reading a book one time and it said that «Perseverance is the virtue that pushes you to keep going in the face of all obstacles».
You see, obstacles are opportunities, really, when you think about it. I am a Passionist religious as well as a priest, I’ve been a Passionist for almost 40 years, a priest for 32 years at this filming. One of my vows, my first vow, I point to my sign here, is to meditate on the passion of Jesus. One of the ways that I do that is by praying the stations of the cross, stations of the cross is the way of the cross, if you’re not Catholic, Jesus condemned for our sins, picks up the cross, embraces God’s will, falls for the first time.
What I love about Jesus is, even though he was suffering and had all these tribulations, he got up, he was determined, he was resilient, he persevered, fell again under the weight of the cross, got up again, fell again, according to the stations of the cross, and got up again and went to the cross for our salvation. And that’s discipleship in a nutshell, we are on the way of the cross, we are on this pilgrimage, this journey, and we face all these tribulations, these hardships, may not be the weight of the cross per se, but there’s all kinds of different things that happen in relationships and discouragement and grieving and perhaps sicknesses and bodily ailments and finances. I love what Proverbs 24:10 says, «Though the righteous fall seven times, they get back up again».
And that’s what discipleship is, time and time again we get knocked down, but we got to get back up. Whether it be sicknesses or finances, as I said, we get up, we be strong, we persevere. Whatever you’re going through right now, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, get up, don’t give up, get up. Perseverance to be an authentic disciple, we have to persevere. As Paul said, «I press on». Be determined even though you suffer.
More Stories of Endurance
I can’t help think about perseverance in this way. One of the great afflictions of our generation has been the legalization of abortion in America, the legalization of Roe v. Wade, happened about 50 years ago, millions of babies have been killed because of this abortion being legalized. But believers have been persevering, determined, patiently praying, and it was finally overturned by the Supreme Court.
And I have to believe it was because of the persevering prayer of believers. Our prayers are powerful. In your prayer life be persevering, don’t give up, God hears you. I’m reminded of a golfer named Steven Alker. He’s from New Zealand, he’s on the Champions Tour, 50 and over, never really did very well in his PGA career, didn’t ever hear from him, didn’t win any tournaments, gets to the Champions Tour and became the player of the year in the year 2022, he won the coveted Charles Schwab Cup. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, here comes this golfer who didn’t give up and persevered, and even though he didn’t do so well when he was younger, he’s doing really well now, winning millions of dollars, and everybody, trust me, on the Champions Tour knows about him. An article that I read about him said, «Good things take time, great things take a little longer».
You see, that’s perseverance, that’s enduring, and endurance bears fruit, did in Steven Alker’s life, did in my life too. I remember when I was in the eighth grade, took typing class, didn’t really want to take typing class, it was part of the curriculum and I had to. And I had a problem with it because it seemed like everybody in the class was doing so much better than I, and I kept having to look at my hands and I couldn’t find all the keys and I didn’t do very well. And I would come home and talk to my mom about it. I’d go, «Mom, I am really struggling in typing class, I have stomachaches and I’m not doing well, I have to look all the time». And my mom looked at me and said, «Cedric, give it time, be patient, you have the ability».
And nothing happened right at once, didn’t happen right away, but she was right, I ended up being the fastest typer in the whole class, it just took me a little while. Some people get it right away, some people it takes a little bit longer. And I’m glad I got it, because now I’m writing books and typing sermons and producing with words, and I need to know how to type and I’m glad that I can type quickly, serves me well, especially with computers now. See, there’s fruitfulness. To endurance, to perseverance, really important.
Grace and Strength for the Journey
And as Jesus taught, and this is discipleship, by perseverance you will win your soul, by enduring, by pressing on, by facing your adversities, by getting up, being resilient, and being strong. I’m speaking to you right now, thank you for tuning in and watching me and tuning in to «Live With Passion». I want you to receive supernatural strength from the Holy Spirit.
See, discipleship isn’t just about our grit, it’s about grace, it’s about God working in our life so much that we are able to face whatever it is we need to face and be, «More than conquerors through Jesus who loves us». And we all have to face a whole variety of adversities. Yes, the end is coming, but right now, as we go through, God doesn’t abandon us, he’s with us in the journey. And because God is with us, we can do whatever it is we need to do. And I say that with enthusiasm because I’ve learned that in my own life, that’s part of living with passion, you don’t give up just because things are hard. I already talked to you about the founder of these networks and what they did to found the network so that we could reach out with a Christian message to all people. It’s the same way with myself in television and I’m sure yourself with your job and your family, you learn, you grow, you keep pressing on.
The Mars Rover Named Perseverance
Some years ago, NASA sent a spacecraft to Mars. NASA, of course, great creativity and great passion, and going back to the moon soon, and wonderful things going on. Well, they sent a spacecraft to Mars and it landed a rover on Mars, the surface of Mars, to perform experiments, gather data, look for water, signs of life. That’s what science does, science is exploratory and creative. But in order to achieve, you have to be daring, you have to try new things, and you have to persevere, you have to endure. Well, they weren’t sure what to name the rover. They had a contest, thousands of school children submitted names for the rover that would explore Mars.
Finally, a 7th grade student, Alexander Mather, he won the contest, his name for the rover that is exploring Mars, «Perseverance». Beautiful name. And he said, «I named the rover Perseverance because we must learn to adapt to any situation, no matter how harsh. Despite the inevitable setbacks, we can persevere and not give up». By the way, years later, at this filming, the relentless Perseverance rover is still gathering data. Wow. We all have harsh conditions, sufferings, and setbacks, and injustices, and grieving, and loneliness, and discouragement, dreams that don’t seem to be happening fast enough, relationship problems. And as I’ve said so many times, just stand up straight, «Lift up your head, because your redemption is at hand, » «Not one hair of your head will be harmed, » persevere, press on, be strong.
Discipleship as Pilgrimage
I like to talk about discipleship as being more than a journey, it’s a pilgrimage. A journey is movement, it’s going somewhere, but a pilgrimage is going somewhere in faith, and, «We walk by faith and not by sight». It’s really important that you understand that faith is taking us somewhere, it’s transforming us. We have a goal, we can endure, and it’s because of faith that we can be strong and face any adversity of life and come to the other side of it. I get letters from people that are given a couple of months to live, and how do they do it, how do they face it without breaking down? By faith, because God has a plan for their life, and whatever trials or tribulations you may be going through, it’s by faith. We all have these harsh conditions, but the gospel ends with hope. There is going to be catastrophe and disaster, we hear it all the time in the news.
As I said, the mass shootings and the earthquakes and the hurricanes and the trials and the tribulations and the global warming, if that is true, politicians, the polarizations, the humanitarian crisis that we’re going through, it’s the birth pangs of the end. And there will be an end, and it will be a tribulation and a great catastrophe. But I love what Jesus said, «Not one hair on our head will be harmed». In other words, he’s gonna take us through, by endurance, we will gain our souls, win our life, come to eternal life. Whatever happens, we will be victorious, we will triumph. I love what it says in the Bible, «We are more than conquerors through him who loves us».
Love that. In Jesus we have the victory.
Decide to Follow Jesus
Wanted to tell you about how I studied a year of novitiate, profess my vows, and at my vows I had a song sung: this is poverty, chastity, obedience, remembering of the Passion, those are my four vows. I had a song sung, and it was attributed to a missionary martyr in India, and it’s a song you’ve probably heard. It’s called, «I Have Decided to Follow Jesus». The words of it are, «I have decided to follow Jesus, » It’s about discipleship. «I have decided to follow Jesus. Though none go with me, still I will follow. No turning back, no turning back».
I don’t think Christianity is all that popular, it isn’t with the baby boomers of my generation, a lot of people aren’t following Jesus. And I heard about people now that are being unbaptized because they’re not believers, they were baptized as an infant by their parents and they don’t want that. «Though none go with me, » though nobody follows you or is encouraging you, I want to encourage you, decide to follow Jesus.
That’s what discipleship is, it’s a decision, it’s a commitment, you speak your words, and I’m trying to help you to be an authentic disciple, because Jesus has given us hope. And the great hope is that no matter what you face, because of your firm decision to press on and patiently endure, because of perseverance, you will win your soul, «Not one hair of your head will be harmed». And I encourage you, endure, keep pressing on, and know that Jesus is with you and you are, «More than a conqueror through him who loves you». Don’t just live, live with passion.