A woman once desperately asked God in prayer, after many discouraging trials, “If only you could assure me that I can persevere, I would be satisfied.” An answer came from her heart, “Well if I did give you that assurance, how would you act? Just do that and all will be well.” Trust in God. (From Bringing the Imitation of Christ into the 21st Century p 19)
To “Bear Wrongs Patiently” is the Work of Mercy that I missed during the month of June. In my excitement with Amoris Laetitia I missed this work during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Therefore, I ask you to bear this small wrong patiently as we discover a little bit about how we are to live this Spiritual Work of Mercy.
As the above short story tells us to bear wrongs patiently is both an inward and outward work of mercy. It is the act of forgiveness and mercy that is echoed so beautifully in the Lords Prayer when we pray, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” All works of mercy include the active engagement of our hearts with the other in our life: God and neighbor. We must learn to be patient with our self, our sins, our faults, our failures to be truly “mercifully patient” with others.
Take for instance my golf game…the greatest challenge is to be patient with who I am as a golfer…not very good…and to play the game with joy and mercy. I can get better (and I am, little by little) but I need to recognize the gradual movements within my ability. This is why we need to learn to bear wrongs patiently with others. I can loose the perspective on my own faults when I choose not to hear the voice of others as I listen to the negative and unfavorable voices in my heart and not hear the encouragement of the progress being accomplished in the voices of the other in my life.
Have a good and positive attitude. Look about you and see those people past and present, who offer encouragement by their example. You may not imitate them exactly or be as successful as they are but be uplifted by them and allow you own faith and hope to supply. (From Bringing the Imitation of Christ into the 21st Century p 19)
Bearing wrongs patiently is an active movement! It is not sitting back and becoming a doormat in allowing others to “do wrong” and being patient with the forlorn hope that change will come about. Back to the golf game: My friend, Henry, gently reminds me, when I’m in a listening frame of mind, that to hold the club lightly in my hands gives me greater control than squeezing the life out of the club. He has reminded me of this blessing for over seven years of playing together…and I am still learning. I begin to appreciate the bearing of wrongs with patience when I hear that kind and persistent voice of reminder. I know it must get frustrating for him to say it over and over again wondering if I will ever “get it”…I promise you I do try to remember.
It is a reminder to me, as it should be to all of us, that sometimes the wrong that we must bear is a lifelong cross of seeking the very best for the other in our life.
In the end, this is why we bear wrongs patiently: for the good of the other. The spiritual work renews our hearts and helps us to accept God’s mercy, as we become bearers of mercy to our brothers and sisters. It is recognizing the compulsions and passions that are in need of patience from our self and others. It is when we can do this that the mercy of love becomes more apparent and we are able to bear the wrong with lightness in God’s saving grace. Fr. Richard Rohr in the below quote reminds us in forgiveness, the continual act of mercy, we learn to see God through our faults and the faults of others by recognizing that we are all daughters and sons of a merciful and loving God. And when we, with God, bear wrongs patiently, we are then able to truly embrace the other, as Jesus embraces his Cross. It is here that love flourishes and mercy abounds.
The task is to overcome these passions and to learn to perceive reality (more) objectively. We have to press through to God, the Totally Objective, who for Christians is at the same time Totally Ours, since he has committed himself to our world and become part of it. We must be capable of meeting someone other that ourselves. (From What the Mystics Know p 33)
God Bless
Fr. Mark
- Bringing the Imitation of Christ into the 21st Century, by Fr. William A Meninger OCSO
- What the Mystics Know: Seven Pathways to Your Deeper Self, by Fr. Richard Rohr OFM