Patience Now

Slowly growing in the virtue of patience

07/26/2017

Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

           Would you describe yourself as a very patient person? I think this virtue is especially elusive for modern Americans, who are accustomed to having things right away, the sooner the better. We drive fast on the freeway, and we’re perturbed with people who poke along in the passing lane. I hate to tell you this, but several times I’ve actually passed a slow poke who was in the left lane, passed them in the right lane, gotten in front of them, and slowed down until they finally moved into the right hand lane. Yes, I need to go to confession for that. We want faster wifi connections and go into withdrawals and start shaking if we can’t download something fast. We have little tolerance for Sunday Mass that’s more than one hour, and we start staring at our watches (or phones).  Like Moses said to Pharaoh, we want to say to the priest: “Let my people go!” We’re like the Christian who prayed for patience saying, “Lord, give me patience, and I want it right now!” We say like Tom Cruise in the movie, “Top Gun,” “I feel the need…the need for speed.” We Americans can’t slow down or be patient.

          But some things in life – indeed the best things – cannot be rushed; we must wait patiently for them. For example, falling in love cannot happen “at first sight,” and usually when it does, it doesn’t last long. “Speed dating” leads quickly to “speed divorcing.” Friendships fostered over years are the richest and most rewarding. A good meal usually isn’t prepared in five minutes in a microwave, but prepared over hours of time, because they include “three scoops of love” which takes time. Farmers know they must be patient waiting for the spring planting to turn into the fall harvest. Yes, you can inject steroids to make your chickens grow faster and fatter, but you’ll also lose something in the balance. Patience is a virtue modern Americans could use a lot more of, and they need that patience now!

           In the gospel today, Jesus tells his disciples that waiting patiently is necessary in the Christian life, too – it is indispensable for growth in goodness; patience even makes us more like God. Jesus tells the parable of the sower who scattered seeds, but weeds grow together with the wheat. The farmer allows both to grow together until harvest, and then he will dispense with weeds and wheat as befit both. But what struck me about the parable was the farmer’s patience and willingness to wait. God is the divine farmer, who knows that his grace works slowly in the life of each Christian: not like a steroid but like a seed. In fact, sometimes growth in the virtues is as imperceptible as seeing the grass grow. Sometimes we only see the growth in the rearview mirror – after years of living the Christian life. We’re more patient today than we were five years ago. We’re more prayerful today than we were ten years ago. We’re more punctual today than we were twenty years ago. Can you see what happening? Some of the weeds in us are miraculously transforming into wheat, and that’s why the Farmer lets both grow. 

We read in 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard ‘delay,’ but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” You will recall that St. Peter also had some weeds that needed to turn into wheat - his impetuosity, his denials - and he was personally grateful for God’s patience.  God’s patience gives us hope, and our patience gives God hope.

          My friends, how do we grow in the virtue of patience? Well, because it’s a virtue, it is gained by practice. Every coach will tell you that “practice makes perfect.” And that’s true with patience as well: the more we practice it, the more perfect it becomes in us. Here are several ways to practice patience. First, pray for the grace to be patient. But remember God may delay in answering your prayers, and thereby teach you to be patient, waiting on his answer.  Garth Brooks told us that “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” Second, try to be more patient with yourself – in overcoming stubborn sins, in learning a new language, in starting a new job, in using a smart phone, etc. – then we’ll be more patient and understanding with other people’s struggles, like those who drive slowly in the left hand lane. They’re slow like we are. Third, do you know how long you should wash your hands with soap? A friend told me you should sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice while rubbing soap on your hands, only then will the soap do any good in cleaning your hand. Some things in life are only attained slowly, like cleanliness; that’s one reason they say “cleanliness is next to Godliness” because both require the virtue of patience. Fourth, reflect on God’s patience toward you, and thank him. How long as God waited patiently for you to learn spiritual principles and put them into practice? God is patient with us like he was with St. Peter.

            The best things in life are not obtained by rushing and recklessness, but rather by patience and perseverance. Heck, even God must wait patiently for us to come to repentance. Friar Laurence gave Romeo and Juliet the same advice in Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, saying, “Wisely and slowly; they stumble that run fast” (Romeo and Juliet, II, 3). If they had heeded his words, this play would have been a romance, and not a tragedy.

Praised be Jesus Christ!