Patience is not a sign of weakness

Patience is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit, pope tells religiousConsecrated men and women need to be patient and courageous to keep advancing, exploring new paths, and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, says Francis.

Pope Francis celebrates Mass with members of religious institutions on the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, 2 February 2021. (Photo by Andrew Medichini / POOL/EPA/Newscom/MaxPPP)

Pope Francis has called on consecrated men and women to make the virtue of patience a hallmark of their way of life.The pope, a Jesuit religious, while celebrating a Vigil Mass on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is observed as the World Day of Consecrated Life, said religious need to be patient and courageous in order to keep advancing, exploring new paths, and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

He referred to the gospel account of the elderly Simeon who had waited patiently his whole life to see the Messiah and recognized it in the child Jesus."Let us take a closer look at Simeon's patience," the pope said, "For his entire life, he had been waiting, exercising the patience of the heart."

He noted that "Simeon had learned that God does not come in extraordinary events, but works amid the apparent monotony of our daily life, in the frequently dull rhythm of our activities, in the little things that, working with tenacity and humility, we achieve in our efforts to do his will."

The pope said Simeon's patience was a mirror of God's own patience -- "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and fidelity.""This is the reason for our hope: that God never tires of waiting for us," Francis said, adding "when we turn away, he comes looking for us; when we fall, he lifts us to our feet; when we return to him after losing our way, he waits for us with open arms".Pope Francis invited consecrated men and women to look to the patience of God and the patience of Simeon as they consider their own lives.

Patience, he said, is not simply about tolerating difficulties or showing grim determination in the face of hardship."it's not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit that enables us to 'carry the burden' of personal and community problems, to accept others as different from ourselves, to persevere in goodness when all seems lost, and to keep advancing even when overcome by fatigue and listlessness," he said."

In our lives as consecrated men and women, it can happen that hope slowly fades as a result of unmet expectations. We have to be patient with ourselves and await in hope God's own times and places, for he remains ever faithful to his promises."It can happen that even as God patiently tills the soil of history and our own hearts, we show ourselves impatient and want to judge everything immediately. In this way, we lose hope," he said."Patience helps us to be merciful in the way we view ourselves, our communities and our world," Pope Francis told religious."

We need patience and courage in order to keep advancing, exploring new paths, and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit."In this time of pandemic patience is sorely needed to move forward "offering the Lord our lives," he said.

The World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life was instituted in 1997 by Pope John Paul II. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2.The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church.

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