I was recently reading my book titled, "The Spiritual Combat and a Treastise on Peace of Soul" by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. Excellent book. A little bit difficult to read from both the use of obscure language and the depth of theology, but well worth the effort. One of the chapters was expressing the importance of constant effort to obtaining virtues, and it suggested finding bible verses that relate to the virtue in question. Naturally, the virtue that was sampled in the chapter was patience. Gosh, I'm really getting lots of messages about patience. I think I'd better pay attention! Here is a sampling of the verses from the chapter:
"The patience of the poor shall not perish, or be deprived of its reward." Psalm 9:19
"The patient man is better than the valiant; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh cities." Proverbs 16:32
"By your patience you will win your souls." Luke 21:19
That last verse caught my attention immediately. It sounds so simple, but it's harder than you'd think. It is hard to be patient, even when you have a very good reason for doing so. I guess I'm going to have to ask God for some extra help on that, since I value my soul over anything.
Prayer - Deep breath. Lord, when I struggle to be patient, grant me the grace to release the distracting emotions and focus on the greater goal. For by practicing patience, I become more open to Your divine plan. I do want to please You, even if I can be incredibly slow in practicing what I know is right. I trust You. I want to win my soul for You.
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