Accept Hard Things with Patience and Even Temper
Yesterday evening we had a rehearsal for our Confirmation Mass, to be celebrated tonight. It was a chaotic affair, with Altar Servers, Confirmandi, Sponsors, family, and of course Catechists and Clergy. I wasn’t herding cats so much as juggling them. I was hoping that we could be out of there in an hour and a half. In the end, it was two and a half hours. I was uncharacteristically frustrated with the galloping chaos that we sort of barely kept on track.
I walked home – 3.8 km in 38 minutes – which helped clear my head and gave me an opportunity for reflection and prayer.
In this morning’s reading from the Holy Rule, the Lord offered me a word of encouragement. We are in the middle of the lengthy Chapter VII: On Humility.
The fourth degree of humility is, that, if hard and distasteful things are commanded, nay, even though injuries are inflicted, he accept them with patience and even temper, and not grow weary or give up, but hold out, as the Scripture saith: “He that shall persevere unto the end shall be saved”1. And again: “Let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord”2.
And showing that a faithful man ought even to bear every disagreeable thing for the Lord, it saith in the person of the suffering: “For Thy sake we suffer death all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter”3. And secure in the hope of the divine reward, they go on joyfully, saying: “But in all these things we overcome because of Him that hath loved us”4. And likewise in another place the Scripture saith: “Thou, O God, hast proved us; Thou hast tried us by fire as silver is tried; Thou hast brought us into a net, Thou hast laid afflictions on our back”5. And to show us that we ought to be under a Superior, it continueth, saying: “Thou hast set men over our heads”6.
And fulfilling the command of the Lord by patience also in adversities and injuries, when struck on the one cheek they turn also the other; the despoiler of their coat they give their cloak also; and when forced to go one mile they go two7; with the Apostle Paul they bear with false brethren and “bless those who curse them”8.
It was only then that I realised that I was frustrated mostly with myself, and I was projecting that frustration on to the other people there.
Partially, this was due to letting things over which I have no control get to me. And partially this was caused by the fact that I was not nearly as prepared as I usually am for these things.
Mea culpa.