Advent (fri)Day 6: The Root of Patience

The French author Simone Weil writes in her notebook:  “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”  Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking.  Patience comes from the word “patior” which means “to suffer.”…What seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone.  – Henri J.M. Nouwen, Out of Solitude

BLESSINGS FALLING ON THE FAITHFUL

We are confident of better things…For God is not unjust; he will not overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.  And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  – Hebrews 6:9-12

PRAYER

Lord, give us patience so that we may truly see obstacles as doors, the “not-quite-rights” of life as a foundation, our sufferings and indifference as eventual gateways to good works, to diligent service, and to our inheritance of salvation.  Make the challenges on our spiritual journey into opportunities to say “yes” to your love. Amen.

ADVENT ACTION

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, by watchful alertness.  Prepare the way of the Lord by making an Advent calendar of proposed contributions of service to others or positive changes in your own spiritual life.  Don’t plan too precisely, however; leave room for God’s input.

The Root of Patience is an excerpt from Advent & Christmas Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen (A Redemptorist Pastoral Publication)