The development of our patience skills may one of the hardest things we have to do as humans. I certainly think it is becoming a lost art. A lot of it has to do with the pace of our society. We are always looking for the quickest and fastest in everything. I remember when microwave ovens first appeared and we marveled at their efficiency and quickness. Now I hear folks complain that the microwave is taking too long. Although our time is relatively short on earth it would behoove us to slow our lives down. How often do you feel like you just don't have enough time. Or worse, after someone has passed, do you regret not visiting or talking with them more often. Part of our responsibilities to others is being a good father, mother, sister, brother, friend, etc. That means forming lasting and deep relationships and that takes time. In Psalm 40:1 it says, "I waited, waited for the Lord; who bent down and heard my cry." In Hebrews 10:36 it states, "You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised." In 2 Thessalonians 3:5 it says, "May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ." I could go on and on. The Bible, our instruction manual for living, is full of exhortations about the need for humans to be patient and to build up our endurance. I struggle each day to accomplish this request. The Lord know that we are human and weak and therefore, He is patient with us. I am praying that we all grow in our ability to be patient when it is warranted.
The spiritual climax of the Gospel of John, as Father John Waiss points out, occurs at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus utters his parting words: “Woman, behold, your son!” and “Behold your mother!” (John 19:26-27). While these words were addressed to the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, the Church has long understood this moment as a universal adoption. To truly image Christ, we must share in His parentage; if we embrace God as our spiritual Father but reject Mary as our mother, we treat Christ as a half-brother rather than our "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). As Origen noted as early as the third century, the profound depths of the Gospel are only accessible to those who, like John, rest their heads on Jesus’ breast and receive Mary into their own homes. This maternal role is deeply rooted in biblical typology, positioning Mary as the fulfillment of the great mothers of the Old Covenant. She is the New Eve , the mother of all the living according ...
Comments
Post a Comment