Patience is a virtue indeed

We all have been in a situation where the path prepared for by God for us is not clear or that we encounter confusions along the way. We may experience crises in our vocations or that God’s plan for our lives are not coming true just yet.

Vocations are the path God calls us into to serve him more fully and follow him more dearly. A marriage that is attuned to God’s will is a way of glorifying God in this life by becoming an example of love and patience before a world that is full of hatred and mistrust. In a similar way, a consecrated life is a way to become a dedicated people for God’s gracious purposes, a people set apart to stand for God in a world corrupted by sin.

However, we may always encounter a bump along the road. We may doubt God’s designs of our life’s paths and even resent God for delaying his promises to us.

The list could go on…

The Readings for today implies a time of waiting for Abraham in our First Reading, and for the disciples of Jesus in our Gospel. Abraham appears to be restive due to the fact that what has been promised to him by God was not yet coming into reality, particularly land and offspring.

On the other hand, Jesus warns the disciples of impending deceptions and misinformations as they await for his second coming, after he is taken away from their midst.

In both readings, God teaches us the secret formula that must couple our patience for the time of the fulfillment of God’s promises. That is Wisdom.

To Beware and to be discerning

In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts the disciples to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.

By their fruits you will know them.” To beware and to be discerning are the components of making wise decisions.

In our first reading, God rectifies the impending wrong decision of Abraham of begetting a child to his servants and make the lovechild the heir. God assures Abraham that His promise stands, and that it must be fulfilled in righteousness. “Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.”

Similar to Abram and the Disciples of Jesus, we may wane in our dedication to God’s designs because of our impatience for the right time and deviate our way from the God-given covenant. Our human nature sometimes dictates us to quit in our waiting and opt instead to another happy choice.

Impatience makes spouses cold on each other. Impatience makes priests and religious grow tepid. Impatience could kill the fire of fervor of artists. It could make ruin relationships. It could undo love.

The Lord tells us today to grow in wisdom and grace. Wisdom makes patience a virtue. Wisdom enables and sustains patience. Wisdom guides us to make and discern decisions as we wait for the timing of the Lord. A person who waits for the Lord patiently in wisdom is a person who is grace-filled like Abraham.

How to achieve wisdom?

Wisdom is attained only in faithfulness to God’s designs in our lives in as much as happiness is achieved by being truthful to our vocations.

Wisdom is achieved in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. In our first reading, Abraham prepared a ritual as instructed by God. “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” These images are images pertaining to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God at whose presentation in the temple was ritualized by “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” (Luke 2:24) These offerings signifies later on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross where he will be made the Lamb of God.

Patience is made a virtue because of amount of sacrifice we give. Wisdom makes the patience for waiting an act of sacrifice.

Thus, wisdom is achieved in sacrifice.

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READINGS (WEDNESDAY OF THE TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME)

FIRST READING

Gn 15:1-12, 17-18

A reading from the Book of Genesis

“Fear not, Abram!

I am your shield;

I will make your reward very great.”

But Abram said,

“O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,

if I keep on being childless

and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?”

Abram continued,

“See, you have given me no offspring,

and so one of my servants will be my heir.”

Then the word of the LORD came to him:

“No, that one shall not be your heir;

your own issue shall be your heir.”

He took him outside and said:

“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.

Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”

Abram put his faith in the LORD,

who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

He then said to him,

“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans

to give you this land as a possession.”

“O Lord GOD,” he asked,

“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He answered him,

“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,

a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought him all these, split them in two,

and placed each half opposite the other;

but the birds he did not cut up.

Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,

but Abram stayed with them.

As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,

and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.

When the sun had set and it was dark,

there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,

which passed between those pieces.

It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,

saying: “To your descendants I give this land,

from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River the Euphrates.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8-9

(8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or: R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;

make known among the nations his deeds.

Sing to him, sing his praise,

proclaim all his wondrous deeds.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or: R. Alleluia.

Glory in his holy name;

rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!

Look to the LORD in his strength;

seek to serve him constantly.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or: R. Alleluia.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,

sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!

He, the LORD, is our God;

throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or: R. Alleluia.

He remembers forever his covenant

which he made binding for a thousand generations—

Which he entered into with Abraham

and by his oath to Isaac.

R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

or: R. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Mt 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,

but underneath are ravenous wolves.

By their fruits you will know them.

Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,

and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,

nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down

and thrown into the fire.

So by their fruits you will know them.”