God is Patient

The more scripture I read, whether it’s with Fr. Mike Schmitz and “Bible in a Year,” preparation for mass, with a men’s group, or just in meditation, the more I am amazed at how interconnected everything is. There are some who say that, now that we have a New Testament, there is no need for the Old Testament. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus constantly referred to scripture which, in his day, was the Old Testament. In fact he gave the disciples (and us) an abject lesson in the importance of the Old Testament when, on the Road to Emmaus, he opened the scripture to the two disciples, explaining, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Lk 24:27)

Many of the parables of Jesus have seemingly obvious lessons. In some, Jesus even explains the main points, such as the parables of the Sower and the Seeds (Mt 13:3-9) and the Weeds among the Wheat (Mt 13:24-30). Both of these parables talk about the sower of the word of God (Jesus) and the fruits of their maturing.

However, like so many other parables, there is another message. In several parables one of the additional messages is patience and, by extension, perseverance. There is an old saying that “patience is a virtue,” but actually, patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (CCC 736).

Throughout the Old Testament, one phrase is repeated frequently. “... ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy and faithfulness.’” (Ex 34:6, Ps 86:15, Num 14:18, et al.) While this phrase is not directly used in the New Testament, the message abounds in many of Jesus’s parables. However, Jesus adds one admonition not present explicitly in the Old Testament, that of justice and payment for one’s faithlessness.

Let’s look at just a few to get a sense of what God’s patience means. In some ways it is very positive and optimistic. In the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, the owner (representing the Father) goes out to hire laborers several times during the day. And finding candidates waiting for work (i.e., looking to enter the kingdom) he hires them. At the end of the day (end of time) each gets the same reward. The owner shows his patience in waiting for those who hear his call just like Jesus and the Father are always waiting for us to turn to them. And when they do, God is not angry with them, but welcomes them with the same generous reward of eternal life as He does for those who were with them at the outset.

The message of God’s patience is also there in the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. Only here there is a more cautionary admonition. Rather than rip up the weeds when they became evident, the work of the evil one, and risk harming the good plants, the landowner (again, God) tells his servants to wait patiently, letting them grow together (i.e., good and evil) until the harvest (the end of time). When the harvest comes, the reapers (the angels) will be told to “gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Mt 13:30) Jesus explains the meaning of this parable to his disciples as briefly described here. The obvious interpretation of the burning refers to hell while the barn is heaven. A later parable has a similar lesson. The net thrown into the sea “gathered fish of every kind.” (Mt 13:47) The fishermen did not separate the fish immediately but waited until they reached the shore (again, the end of the age), at which time they “sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.” (Mt 13:48) Again, Jesus’s explanation notes that at the close of the age, “The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Mt 13:49-50)

The Gospel of Matthew is so rich in parables that tell of the kingdom in so many ways, but it is especially fruitful when one connects the dots within them. Each one has one or more important lessons that we all need to learn and heed but putting them together gives us a more complete view of the merciful, gracious, and patient LORD spoken of in Exodus. Additionally, we get a better and more complete picture of God’s revelation and message of salvation. Connect the above parables about patience and judgment with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens (Mt 25:1-13).

One of the shortest (and one of the best – not just because of its length) homilies I have heard was given by a parish priest after reading the above Gospel concerning the ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom (Christ). Five brought extra oil for their lamps and five were unprepared. The bridegroom was delayed (we don’t know the time of Christ’s return), so the unprepared virgins asked the others for some of their oil but were refused because then all of them might run out. While they went to procure more oil, the bridegroom arrived. When those virgins finally returned and asked for admittance to the bridal feast, they were told, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” They were forbidden entry. After finishing the Gospel reading, the priest leaned over to the microphone, said these words, “DEATH! Are you ready,” and sat down. You could hear a pin drop. This brings us to the other side of the patience narratives – readiness and perseverance.

We are besieged daily with temptations, distractions, obligations, and desires to fulfill our personal wants and needs. So how can our understanding of God’s patience help and guide us. First, we need to go back to the gospels: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Mt 6:33) As we learn from Peter’s failed attempt to walk on water, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. It is when we turn from Jesus that we start to sink. (Mt 14:30) “He who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mt 10:22)

Conversion is a continual process. We must work on it daily, whenever our path takes us astray we need to turn our eyes back to Jesus, and get back on the narrow path. We are in this world, but Jesus has called us out of the world. Our true home is with him in heaven. When we forget that, we begin heading in the wrong direction. It’s deceiving because “everyone else is doing it.” We want to get along with others, have friends, enjoy life, be successful (what is true success? Getting to heaven!). Thomas a’ Kempis notes, “Vain is the man who puts his trust in men, in created things.” (Imitation of Christ) But we must never forget that, at the end of the patience, there are the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. As St. Peter reminds us, “The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (7-10)

“Never will we understand the value of time better than when our last hour is at hand.” St. Arnold Janssen