Patience Obtains All

Gospel Reflection 76 – Luke 2:22-40 – 2 February 2024

O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. (Psalm 59:17 NRSVE)

     The other day I was in a busy supermarket and, as is often the case, people rushed to get in and out as quickly as possible. As I was exiting the parking lot, I noticed a particularly harried mother. She had two children, one riding in the cart, and the other, a boy of five or six. As the mother reached her van, she placed the toddler in it and went quickly to place the bags of food into the back. The young boy stood behind the young woman asking incessant questions, as six-year-olds do.

     As they finished loading the van, it was clear that the mom was ready to go, she popped open the sliding door for her son to climb in. It was just then that the boy stopped, stooped down, and began to tie his shoes. It was clear that he was struggling, and the mom asked him if he needed help. He said, “No mom, I can do this.” He proceeded to take a while trying to get the knot just right. His mother, though it was clear she was in a hurry, patiently waited as her son tied, retied, and again tied the bow knot. Eventually, the boy stood up straight and with a smile, proudly stuck his shoe forward with a perfectly tied double bow knot for his mother to see. Instead of being angry or frustrated with the delay, she beamed back at him and gave him a high five. The boy then climbed into the car, and they drove away.

     The entire exchange really struck me. Mostly, I was impressed with the patience with which the mother waited. I am not sure I would have been so patient. In a hurry, she could have just tied her son’s shoe and plopped him into the car. After-all, she had a timeline to meet. Instead, she patiently waited.

     This mother is an image of steadfast love, patience, for her son. Love is sacrifice, a willing of the good of the other, before your own. She could have insisted on getting her tasks done in a timely manner but instead, she waited patiently out of love. St Paul, in his first Letter to the Corinthians, describes the attributes of love. The first attribute he gives to love is patience (1 Corinthians 13:4). Later he writes to the Colossians,

“May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience…” (Colossians 1:11)

     St Paul is telling the Colossians, and us, to patiently endure or wait for the Lord. When we say we love God, we cannot insist on our timing, but await His. This patience is an attribute of our love. It is His timing that is important for,

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. (2 Peter 3:9 NABRE)

     Today in the Gospel, we hear of two Saints, Simeon and Anna, who patiently wait their entire lives for the coming of the Messiah. We hear that St Simeon “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25 NABRE) The Lord promised that he would not die before he had seen the Christ. St Anna spent most of her adult life, as many as 63 years, worshiping “night and day with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37 NABRE) waiting for the Lord. Both Simeon and Anna gave their lives to a long waiting out of a love for God. Imagine the longing their hearts must have had as they watched so many tragedies unfold around them. Neither gave into the very human need for immediate gratification. Instead, they loved God first. They are not harried or hurried but trusted in the promise. They trusted the Lord.

     How often do we get exasperated with how long the Lord is taking in answering our prayers? How often in our impatience do we act imprudently to “get things moving?” How often do we grow frustrated in waiting for others to respond to our love and walk away? In love, as our God waits with infinite patience for us, we too are to patiently await God’s perfect timing. His is a steadfast love, an infinite patience. We are also called to express our love in patience for others, for that too, is for the Lord.

    Like the mother who waited patiently in love for her son; so, our Lord waits with patience for us, and every other created soul. We too, through the example of Sts. Simeon and Anna are called to a patient love. In this, we open ourselves to God’s grace and timing. In this, we will see His salvation and rejoice. Patience obtains all!

Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough.

                                                                  (St Teresa of Jesus)

Endnotes:

Amalah. (2016, October 14). The shoe tying battle, revisited. Alpha Mom. https://alphamom.com/parenting/young-child/child-shoe-tying-battle/

St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesías 30, in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. III, tr. by K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1985), 386 no. 9, tr. by John Wall.