Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
THURSDAY, May 12th Jn 13: 16-20 “When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.’”
The people of Jesus’ time wore sandals walking the dusty roads of Palestine. Washing their feet before dining was the work of a slave! Read the lengthy exhortation Jesus gives to the Apostles, as well as us, regarding service!
“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (Jn 13:12-17)
Serving requires patience, infinite patience. I think it fair to say this is a challenging virtue for most of us! The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak. Fr. Ed offers a timely meditation on this desired but most difficult virtue.
PATIENCE, PATIENCE, AND MORE PATIENCE!!! by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
A woman talking to the Lord in prayer, begged the Lord for a very special virtue that she sorely needed, and this was the content of her concise but almost desperate prayer: “Lord, I beg you, Lord, I truly beg you, give me patience, and I need it right now!” I think we can all identify with the heartfelt prayer of this woman begging for a virtue that we all need on a daily basis, probably even on an hourly basis. So important is this virtue that Jesus said: “By your patience you will save your souls.” (Lk 21:19) All of us must strive to practice patience, but of primary importance, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola insists on this, we must beg God for the grace to be patient.
Therefore, we would like to offer a strategy, a clear and practical program on how we can eventually, with the help of God’s grace which is never lacking, attain that most important and most needed virtue of PATIENCE. With God’s grace all is possible. Or if you like: “Nothing is impossible with God!” (Lk 1:37)
1. GOD’S INFINITE AND ETERNAL LOVE.
Most of us have heard this phrase countless times, such that it may seem to be a trite, hackneyed, pious platitude or common cliché. However, this short but profound Biblical truth must descend from our head to our heart and it is this: GOD REALLY AND TRULY LOVES ME!!! Most certainly we have heard and read this truth many times, but maybe it has never really sunk into the depths of our heart. In a word, we must be convinced not only that GOD IS LOVE, but that God has an infinite and eternal love for me in all times, all places, and all circumstances! And yes, it must be stated, God loves me even when I fail Him due to my moral failures that we call sin. Jesus came not for the perfect but for sinners, and all of us fall into that category. As Saint Paul clearly reminds us in Romans: “Where sin abounds, the mercy of God abounds all the more.” (Rom 5:20) Therefore, pray and meditate upon this most simple but profound truth: God really does love me always and without limitations. His love is both eternal and infinite! This is our Great God!
2. CONTEMPLATE THE CRUCIFIX.
In the life of Saint John Bosco in the context of the Oratory, his mother, Margarita, stayed with him to help with the many household chores in attending to rambunctious teenage boys. However, she had reached her limit with the disorder caused by these mischievous teens, and had her bag packed, ready to return to her home. Father John Bosco, her son, said nothing, only lifted his finger to the wall where there was a crucifix, with Jesus hanging from it. After gazing upon Jesus hanging and suffering on the cross, Mama Margarita understood how much Jesus loved these abandoned youths and how Jesus wanted Margarita to practice patience. Thereupon, this holy woman and mother of a saintly priest, dropped her baggage and spent the rest of her life assisting John Bosco with the youth! Therefore, in your life, when it seems as if the cross you are carrying is unbearable, lift up your eyes to contemplate Jesus hanging on the cross loving you, and loving all of humanity, patiently enduring the pain for all our sins. With great humility thank Him, and He will give you special graces to practice patience.
3. BEG FOR THE GRACE.
Saint Augustine states: “We are all beggars before God.” That means we are all in dire need of God’s help at all times and in all places because we are very weak. We may be weak, but God is strong! As the Psalmist reminds us: “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 124:8) After begging the Lord to remove the thorn in his flesh, Saint Paul was told by the Lord: “My grace is sufficient!” (2 Cor 12:9) Causing the great Apostle Paul to cry out: “When I am weak, it is then that I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10) Indeed, if we beg the Lord fervently for the grace to be patient, He will rush to our aid. God hears and responds to such a humble and persevering prayer!
4. MAKE THE WAY OF THE CROSS.
On one occasion, I was speaking to a Spiritual Director and he made this comment: “When I find myself in a state of desolation, when things appear to be dark, dreary, and hopeless, I make the Stations of the Cross and inevitably the desolation disappears.” Without doubt, this can be applied to patience. When you feel your patience is gone, that the weight of the cross is unbearable and you can no longer support it, then slowly in prayer walk the Stations of the Cross, aka the Way of the Cross, with the Lord and you will receive renewed strength, vitality, and patience! With Saint Francis of Assisi we pray: “We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.” (Purchase or find on line the Stations of the Cross, aka the Way of the Cross to pray as needed!)
5. HONEST CONVERSATIONS WITH JESUS, MARY, AND SAINT JOSEPH.
Our prayer, to be authentic, must be honest. If we find our life situation to be very difficult, to the point of being almost impossible, then it is time to sit down in front of Jesus, and you might invite Saint Joseph and Mary to be present as well, and pour out your heart to your Best Friends—Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph. Jesus said: “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” (Mt 18:3) Take for a model, if you like, the movie Marcelino Pan Y Vino, also known as The Miracle of Marcelino (1955 version). This little orphan boy with holy abandon opens up to Jesus, expressing the deepest desire in his heart, as well as his greatest suffering—the lack or absence of the love of a mother and his great desire to have a mother. He tells all to Jesus. Jesus hears the little boy and accedes to his request. So must we be like a little child, so must we imitate the holy abandon, trust, and simplicity of Marcelino, and tell the Lord how difficult it is at times to bear the cross and beg for the sorely needed patience. The Lord, Mary, and Saint Joseph will not delay in coming to your assistance!
6. MEDITATE / CONTEMPLATE UPON HEAVEN—YOUR ULTIMATE DESTINY. It must be stated with bold truth: we do not meditate or contemplate enough on the reality of heaven. Our life is very short, like the flower that rises in the morning and withers and dies as the sun goes down, or like smoke blown by the wind. Saint Augustine states that our life in comparison with eternity is a mere blink of the eye. Our Lady of Fatima said that if humanity would meditate upon eternity, they would be converted immediately! We must meditate upon the shortness of our life, the purpose of our life, and the eternal reward that awaits us!
The simple Catechism teaches us this eternal truth: “We are here on earth to know God, love God, and serve God, so that we will be happy with Him forever in heaven.” Even our greatest crosses and sufferings can be supported if we meditate more often upon Heaven—its joys, rewards, and reality, and this is forever!
Saint Paul breaks out with this radiant and consoling truth: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man the wonderful things that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor 2:9)
Also, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:3-4) Whatever our troubles, let us say to ourselves, “This too shall pass”, and allow the thought of Heaven to attain for us patience, patience, and even more patience!!!
7. OFFER IT UP, DO NOT WASTE IT!
Of course, the whole concept and virtue of patience is related to suffering. Our patience can be tried with respect to our health, finances, family problems, social conflicts, academic or work challenges or failures, ruptured relationships, mental and emotional turmoil, uncertainties of all kinds—all of these and more can put our patience to the test! However, instead of complaining and becoming bitter over your crosses, why not accept the crosses, beg for the patience to carry them, and then offer the crosses, as well as your patient endurance, to God for the conversion and salvation of sinners—there are many out there who need special graces if they are to be saved, even in our own families! This is a prayer Our Lord will not fail to answer! Also, with this supernatural view or perspective, the crosses become lighter and patience comes easier. Try it! Lift up your mind and cultivate a more supernatural vision of your life, your crosses, and their eternal value!
8. DON’T HIDE IT, SHARE IT.
One of the key aspects of Ignatian Spirituality is that in our spiritual life, we are not made to be loners, rugged individualists, like the pioneer, Daniel Boone. On the contrary, to make it to heaven, we have to learn to work with others, and we must have some form of spiritual direction or accompaniment. Of capital importance for our spiritual progress is the need to have a spiritual director and to be able to open up with great humility, trust, and transparency, especially when the cross seems heaviest and our patience is being put to the test. You might be surprised after you have unloaded, articulated and expressed your cross and your need for patience to your spiritual director, how the cross seems to diminish in size and the patience that seemed almost impossible is indeed very possible. Jesus said: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:30)
9. THREE AREAS WHERE WE MUST ESPECIALLY BE ON GUARD AND BEG FOR THE GRACE.
Jesus said: “By your patience, you will save your souls.” (Lk 21:19) A good part of our spiritual victory can be achieved through awareness, vigilance, self-knowledge, and a Daily Examen. In our lives there are three areas where we need patience: 1) With God, 2) With Others, and 3) With Ourselves. Let us briefly address these three areas.
First, with respect to God, possibly it has happened that you have been praying to God for something and it seems that He is not listening. Nothing could be further from the truth! God always hears us, but He often makes us wait so that we can grow in the virtues of patience and prayerfulness. Saint Monica prayed for more than 30 years for the conversion of her family! But it happened—not only was her son, Augustine, converted, but also her husband and mother-in-law!
Second, with respect to patience with others, of great help might be the simple reminder of our own faults and sins and how patient God is with us! So should we be patient with the limitations of others!
Finally, Saint Frances de Sales insists that we must be patient with ourselves. “The just man falls seven times a day, but rises again.” (Prov 24:16) Saint Junipero Serra was famous for saying: “Siempre Adelante, Siempre Adelante y nunca atras.” That is, “Always forward, always forward and never look back.” The Founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, Venerable Bruno Lanteri coined the two word axiom: NUNC COEPI—NOW I BEGIN meaning that if I fall, I will get up as many times as needed and try again, trusting in God’s infinite patience, mercy, and love. Indeed, as the Psalmist teaches us: “God is slow to anger and rich in kindness.” (Ps 103:8)
10. MARIA COGITA, MARIA INVOCA… THINK OF MARY AND INVOKE MARY.
Once again, a hallmark of the spirituality of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary is a tender, total, and unlimited trust in the presence, power, prayer, perseverance, and purity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the prayer, the Memorare, Saint Bernard offers us these most consoling words: O most gracious Virgin Mary, never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided….” Why not form this habit, consecrate your days to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. However, during the course of the day, especially during trials and tribulations when the cross seems most heavy, lift up your eyes and call upon the Holy Name of Mary. As a most loving and tender Mother, she will never fail you!
