Patience

Patience is the virtue which makes us accept for love of God, generously and peacefully, everything that is displeasing to our nature.

Patience is the virtue which makes us accept for love of God, generously and peacefully, everything that is displeasing to our nature, without allowing ourselves to be depressed by the sadness which easily comes over us when we meet with disagreeable things. Patience is a special aspect of the virtue of fortitude which prevents us from deviating from the right road when we encounter obstacles. Fortitude has a double function: to face difficulties and to bear them. Many difficulties can be surmounted through fortitude. Others, however, we must learn to bear with, and this is the role of patience.

By fixing our glance on Jesus, the divinely patient One, we can learn to practice patience. If Jesus, the Innocent One, bore so much for us, can we not endure something for love of Him? Whatever the total of suffering in our lives, it will always be very small compared with the infinite sufferings of Christ.

Whoever wishes to become patient must look at the motives for suffering in the profound light of faith. If we wish to live for God, we must never stop to consider the human causes of our sufferings, but must accept all as coming from His hands, simply repeating: Dominus est! It is the Lord!

This acceptance does not prevent us from feeling, even deeply feeling, the weight of the suffering – Jesus also felt it in His agony in the Garden of Olives – but it does help us to be undisturbed, to preserve peace and serenity, to maintain self-control, and, consequently, to be patient.

In the beginning, and even for a long time, we may experience a great repugnance for suffering. Nevertheless, if we try to accept it as we should, with constancy, peace, and submission to the divine will, we shall gradually become cognizant of the great spiritual benefit that flows from it.