“...you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming”
The start of Advent is one of preparation and anticipation. We anxiously await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we were little kids, we could almost not contain ourselves because of the gifts we could not open until Christmas Day. We had to wait patiently for the day to arrive so that we could open them. The people of God were waiting ever patiently for over two thousand years for their promised Messiah.
In a world full of immediate gratification and constant connection with everyone around us, we have lost what it means to be truly patient. An old saying that many our parents may have said is, “Good things come to those who wait”.
What is Patience? We have all heard it said, “Patience is a virtue”, but many people do not know what this truly means. Patience is “a form of the moral virtue of fortitude. It enables one to endure present evils without sadness or resentment in conformity with the will of God. Patience is mainly concerned with bearing the evils caused by another.” [1] In our Catholic faith, patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that we receive at Baptism and Confirmation. It grows when we are practicing its brother virtue, the gift of fortitude. As we read here patience is to give us the strength and perseverance to ride out the evils that are done to us and to be accepting to whatever God wills for us during the times of trials.
Are there different levels of patience? Sometimes we hear or say, “My patience is growing thin.” We can have different grades of patience: “The three grades of patience are: to bear difficulties without interior complaint, to use hardships to make progress in virtue, and even to desire the cross and afflictions out of love for God and accept them with spiritual joy.” [2] If we are truly practicing patience we not only endure hard times in our lives, but we are able to let go of complaining and accept the cross for the love of God.
What if someone has no patience? This is like saying someone has no talents. God made us, and if we are baptized Christians, we all have patience within us. We do not follow every impulse we have. We all have gifts; we just have to discover what they are, and work hard at them. Working on our talents takes lots of practice and lots of patience, especially when we do not see the results the way we want them to be. If someone is impatient, especially in times of distress or pain, they should look to Christ as their example. In Jesus’ Passion, we see Him bear the burden of the injustice set against not only Himself, but his followers as well. He took it all “in patience, as a means of instructing our own patience”. [3]
How is God so patient with us? “God is Love” (1 John 4:8, 16), and “This love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) If we are practicing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will bear good fruit, one of which is patience: “…the fruit of the Spirit:...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Remember God is infinitely patient with us. He is the Father, and He waits for the Prodigal Sons, us, to come back to Him. He endures all of our sins so that we can repent and come back to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Christ is patient with us in the Most Blessed Sacrament. He waits and even longs for us to be with Him at Mass and/or Adoration. He waits patiently to take our burdens and struggles, wanting to place them on His shoulders, but we must go to Him and ask this from Him. God never forces Himself on us but is willing to place patience upon us if we ask of it from Him.
God is patient with us. The fact that He waits for us gives us the freedom and the chance for conversion. “And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation.” (2 Peter 3:15) The people of Israel were expected to be patient, but this patience was a time for conversion. Those preparing to enter the Church or preparing to receive a Sacrament, or a person who has asked the Church for the declaration of nullity regarding their marriage are expected to be patient. All of these things are chances for conversion. As a Church we are the bride awaiting our groom. This waiting and longing, this hunger and thirst that we have, is a time for conversion.
In what areas of our life can we better work on patience? What steps are we going to take in order to build up our patience? How can we notice when we need to be more patient?
[1] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 408
[2] Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 408
[3] Sermon 175, 3, 3.