29th Week in OT 2020 - Friday - Humility, Gentleness, Patience

From prison, Paul pleaded with his Christian brothers and sisters to "live a life worthy" of their calling.  

Paul then describes the type of conduct he is urging: humility, gentleness, patience. Let’s look at these three virtues.

For Paul, humility means regarding others as more important than ourselves.  To imitate the Lord’s humility, early Christians would wash each other’s feet, as Jesus did at the last supper. We are to stoop low in order to serve others. 

Next, Paul urges gentleness.  Here is another virtue evidenced and extolled by our Lord: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart.” What is gentleness? Gentleness involves calm, reasonable restraint. It avoids physical or emotional outbursts and harshness. It is careful not to bruise others. 

Thirdly, Paul says, be patient. The scriptural word for patience literally means, to be “long-tempered” as opposed to short-tempered. The Psalms describe God as “slow to anger”. Christians are to be “slow to anger”—putting-up with the faults and idiosyncrasies of others—even when we are bruised in the process.

Paul then explains the reason for these virtues: humility, gentleness, and patience help us to maintain unity which should be a hallmark of our relationships and of our Church.  Think of how many relationships are broken because humility, gentleness, and patience are not practiced—because self-restraint and patience are not practiced in speech and in deed. 

A marriage, a family, a parish, or a diocese, even, can become more and more divided when the call to practice these virtues is ignored. And it’s not easy. Our culture promotes not humility, gentleness, and patience, but arrogance, harshness, and pettiness. 

But when we practice these things, we exhibit a peace that the world does not know. We become a calm and peaceful harbor in which souls can discover Christ. 

But to do so, we must exert real effort to cultivate these virtues and to pray for these virtues. We must practice self-restraint and look for opportunities to stoop down in service. But when we do, we become ever-more effective instruments for the building up of the Church for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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On this day of prayer and fasting for priests, we pray for the sanctification of our priests, that they may have the endurance to remain faithful to their calling amidst so many challenges. Let us pray to the Lord.

For healing of all sinful division in our families, parishes, and diocese. Let us pray to the Lord.

For the transformation of all attitudes which lead to war, violence, racial hatred, and religious persecution.

That, during this month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, many Christians will discover new and deep devotion to Our Lady’s powerful intercession and maternal care for the Church

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and peace to all the suffering. 

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for the repose of the souls of all those who made our reception of the faith possible. 

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.