“Good Lord, give me patience!”
I heard this many times growing up, as my brother and I tried my mother’s patience in many ways. And I find myself saying this prayer to this day in response to the aggravations of every day life (traffic, lines at stores, or the dreaded phone menu to listen through), impatience with other people, and if I’m honest, sometimes with the slowness of prayers being answered by God.
Maybe rather than asking God to “give” me patience, maybe I should be asking God to help me “grow” in patience.
Patience: A Fruit of Love
In Scripture, the Apostle Paul closely links love and patience in his Hymn to Love (1 Corinthians 13:4). In describing the first quality of love he uses a word that is translated as “magnanimous” or “patient”. For Paul, this is the essence of God’s love – great love responds to evil with good, it doesn’t withdraw in anger and discouragement, but perseveres and tries again. He goes on in verse 7 to tell us:
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” At the root of patience is love; to grow in patience is to grow in love.
Learning From St. Thérèse of Lisieux
One of my spiritual heroes is St. Therese of Lisieux. Her “little way” of love illustrates this connection between patience and love. An example: in chapel, there was a nun behind her in choir who made an incessant clicking noise (apparently tapping her rosary against her teeth). St. Therese had to stifle her compulsive desire to turn around and glare at her. Her “little way” of growing in patience was to pretend that the sound was music to Christ’s ears and to endure the annoyance in silence. She went even further to perform little acts of charity for the sister and came to develop a special fondness for her. How I need to grow in love like St. Therese and learn to be patient with the “sandpaper” people in my life that rub me the wrong way!
Pope Francis on the Call to Patience
Pope Francis, in his general audience address (March 27, 2024), called on the faithful to imitate the patience of Christ, saying this virtue offers one of the most convincing testimonies of the Lord’s love. He observed that “there is no better testimony of Christ’s love than meeting a patient Christian”.
He acknowledged that it is part of our human nature to be impatient and respond to evil with evil.
“It is difficult to stay calm, control our instincts, restrain bad responses, defuse arguments and conflicts in the family, at work, and in the Christian community”.
Pope Francis stressed that patience is not only a “necessity” but “a calling”.
I also know that I need to cultivate patience with how God is working in my life and remember: God is God and you are not!
This excerpt from the prayer of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, reminds me that God is always at work in my life and I have only to stand still and grow in patience:
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
unknown, something new.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
As Pilgrims of Hope, may we always turn to our Lord and ask him to help us grow in love and follow the patient example of Christ.
Debra (Debbie) Garza is a wife, mother, and parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Leon Springs, and an Oblate of St. Benedict with the St. Scholastica Monastery in Boerne, Texas. She serves Pilgrim Center of Hope as a member of the Board of Directors, as a Speaker, and as an experienced Pilgrimage Group Leader - having traveled with PCH to the Holy Land, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.
Debbie says, "I strongly believe in the Mission of Pilgrim Center of Hope. I have experienced personally as well as witnessed in others, how PCH guides people to encounter Christ through their evangelization ministries. PCH is committed to helping others experience their personal journey of faith through prayer, pilgrimage, and spiritual renewal. I am grateful to support PCH as a Missionary of Hope, walking with others as we grow stronger together in our Catholic faith.”
Pilgrim Center of Hope provides Catholic events, experiences, and media; initiating a desire in people to encounter Jesus Christ in their daily journey of life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
