Fr. Michael Williams

St Paul gives us a definition of love in today’s second reading, which goes beyond sentimentality. Paul begins by saying, ‘Love is always patient’. It’s interesting that St Paul places patience as the first quality of love. St Thomas Aquinas said that love and patience are inseparable. And St Thomas says that Our Lord’s love and patience are particularly manifested on the Cross. He writes: ‘If you are looking for patience, you will find it in it’s highest form on the Cross…Christ suffered greatly and with patience on the Cross: ‘when He suffered He did not threaten; like a lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth’. So love and patience are manifested on the Cross, by the God who is love.

As baptised Christians we have had this love poured into our hearts, and from this love we are all called to manifest the patience which love demands.

We need to be patient in three specific ways:

Firstly, we need to be patient with God. Life will throw all sorts of challenges at us, which will test our faith in God. Illness, bereavement, family problems. Yet in all these situations we must entrust ourselves to God’s greater knowledge and understanding; we must entrust ourselves to God who is love and is with us through the trials. We must continue faithful to our prayers and the Sacraments and Sunday Mass. Ultimately, the Lord will deliver us in His own time and in His own way. Being patient with God means that we trust in His plans for us, even though we may not always understand them.

(And anyway let’s face it God’s patient with us!)

Secondly, we need to be patient with others. Normally this starts in the family- the school where we learn patience! Look at your parents, your brothers and sisters, your children, as opportunities to develop patience! It is through others that we learn to grow in patience; we learn and grown in love. We also have opportunities at work and in our communities! It’s important we avoid bad tempers and signs of annoyance with others. Yes, sometimes correction is called for, but it’s how we correct others that is the key. Flying off the handle is never a manifestation of love and patience; as St James says in his letter, ‘God’s righteousness is never served by man’s anger’. It is in our daily interactions with others that our patience is stretched and developed; some people never accept the lesson, and end up miserable like Victor Meldrew who never had any patience.

Thirdly, we need to be patient with ourselves. We are small creatures in the general scheme of things. Yes, we are loved by God and others, but we are inadequate and we can’t do all that we might like to do and make things happen as we would like. So we need to accept our limitations and be patient with ourselves too.

It is important when we are struggling to be patient to think of Our Lord on the Cross and His patience, and ask for the grace of patience. Let’s go back to the words of Thomas Aquinas: ‘Christ suffered greatly and with patience on the Cross: ‘when He suffered He did not threaten; like a lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth’.