During a recent workshop for Healthcare professionals on the subject of treating patients with dignity, I referenced a quote from The Servant by James Hunter, “Love is not how you feel towards others, but how you behave toward others.” Some of the behaviors listed by the author are patience, kindness, humility, respectfulness, selflessness, forgiveness, honesty, and commitment. I’m sure you’ll agree that these are some of the very same qualities that are necessary for building up the Body of Christ. In fact, the author takes these qualities from chapter 13 of St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. For the sake of this reflection, I’d like to ask you to consider some of these qualities over the next few weeks, and how they might impact your own life and the life of our parish community at St. John the Baptist.
Patience
St. Paul reminds us that love is patient. That’s good to know because most of us struggle to be patient. Typically, we live in a world characterized by impatience. Perhaps this is why we are so quick to complain, judge or act out against others when things do not go our way. Take for instance the tragic shooting of a four year old in Albuquerque as a result of road-rage, or the man who shot a perfect stranger in a movie theater because he wouldn’t stop talking during the movie. It is unfortunate that some of these tragedies no longer shock our sensibilities. But for the most part, they result because people have a difficult time being patient with others.
Now I must confess, I do not consider myself a good example when it comes to being patient. I can grow very impatient when someone puts me on hold on the telephone, or when I’m standing in a long line waiting to be seated at a restaurant or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. And yet, I know that patience is an attribute that every Christian must try to develop.
I remember a kind lady who told me that she had spent nine months in a coma after a massive stroke. She had to learn to speak and to walk almost like she was a child again. She said, “Suffering taught me patience. The little things that used to bother me before my stroke no longer seemed so important afterwards.” To that end, what can each of us do to cultivate a greater sense of patience with ourselves and with others? Besides learning to count to ten every time we feel we are losing our patience, perhaps we can consider how patient God is with us. Are we deserving of His patience? Probably not. And yet He is patient and loving with us anyway. How can I be patient with those around me this coming week? And how can I put into action the definition of love from the beginning of this letter: Love is not how you feel towards others, but how you behave towards others?
(To be continued…)