“Even if you have to die, keep faithful, and I will give you the crown of life for your prize” (Rev 2:10).
In the Book of Revelation, the Father conveys these words to us through the mouth of the glorified Lord. God wants to give us the “crown of life,” which is a crown of victory. The Lord wants to adorn us with His glory and make us sharers in His triumph over death and hell. To this end, we must be faithful unto death.
Most exegetes interpret these words, addressed to the “angel of the church of Smyrna” (Rev 2:8), as addressed to the bishop of a church in Asia Minor. However, it also extends to all the faithful in general.
Along with the exhortation to be faithful unto death, the Lord also grants us His grace to achieve this. Indeed, the Father never expects anything from us without at the same time giving us everything we need to fulfill it.
In Jesus He has shown us His faithfulness unto death; an unwavering faithfulness, which He has proved and continues to prove to His people Israel and to all humanity.
This fidelity is part of our Father’s being, and He Himself strengthens us so that we too may be faithful in all areas of our lives. It is a “fidelity that sees” and must not be confused with mere loyalty and solidarity, which can become blind.
Above all, it is fidelity to God and His commandments that has primacy and from which everything else must start. From this hierarchy everything is ordered and everything occupies the place that God has designated for it. From here, fidelity acquires its splendor, because it bears the mark of love for God:
We are faithful to God because He is our most loving Creator and Father. We are faithful to Jesus and to the faith of the Church because the Father has entrusted it to us. We remain faithful to our mission in this world because through it we glorify God and serve the truth.
“Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great; anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great” (Lk 16:10).