Patience
June 13, 2023
Most fruitful and ample as it is, patience is filled with endurance and perseverance. As we know it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. Saint James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4) The Apostle told us that patience makes us perfect which means to lack nothing. He is saying to ask the Lord for patience which will be given to us.
We sometimes lack patience but we need it. It causes us disasters otherwise. There are many things surrounding us that might make us angry in our lives. One of the things to make us panic is impatience. Sometimes, we look at the impatience as anger. When we lose our patience, it is not a holy anger. It is a trick from Satan for us to lose patience, salvation and peace inside us. This is a big problem for many of us. Father Youssef in his homily said, “When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ told us about what we are going to face in this world, He did not promise us a life free from hardships or tribulations or afflictions or persecution. But actually He told us that we would carry our cross. “If you want to follow me, you will carry your cross.” Which means “you will suffer; you will be persecuted; you will face hardships and afflictions.” But He promised us also deliverance and victory at the end. (His Holiness Father Youssef)
Let us concentrate on what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ have said. “He endures till the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) And the Bible says “By your patience possess yourself. “We need patience in three areas; we need patience in strive and we need patience’s in tribulations. What is a strive? It is our spiritual struggle. Every day is a spiritual struggle. Believe me we need patience in prayer. You need patience when you read the bible and spiritual books. Unless you have this patience, you will see things clearly and properly benefit much.
If we are patience in our daily lives we will be bestowed with love, peace and harmony. Father Elisha Rizk mentions the story of Zachariah and Elisabeth to illustrate this notion., “The angel came to Zachariah the man of God and the story said both Zachariah and Elizabeth were righteous who lived in fear of God, listening to His word and obeying it. Both of them lived together in peace and love. (Luke 1:5-6) Do we have that? Do we have these qualities in our days at home? Are our father and mother always together, happy, enjoying, rejoicing and calm in the time of problems, trial and need? How are our homes? How does our house look like? Are our parents righteous in the eyes of God? We find troubles which might be from one of the sides. From the husband or from the Wives. Because of the trouble, problems or the needs, our insight about our homes is an issue.”
Here an example can be mentioned; There was a Monk who with very much patience, prayer and worshiping God. Satan was so annoyed of his patience. He wanted to destruct him; While he was praying and he made him to have some fever. But the Monk having fever felt like he prayer was heard. He said, “I might depart soon.” So he decided to pray more. So the trick of Satan did not work with him and the enemy was so upset. But the Monk carried on prayer. At the end, Satan set fire underneath him. He burned the rack in which the Monk was standing so as to move him.” This show how Satan cannot stand our patience.
Saint Paul said “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfect of faith.” (Hebrew 12:1-2 The Apostle told us to let us run the race to get to the gold.” We need to run because it is our spiritual goal; We need not to stop. That is why we need that patience because it keeps us going. Never to stop; Run the race! If you stop, you might lose it all. But we run the race. We do not have time. One of the saying which can be the center of gospel, is Lord saying “But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 3:59) It is not being unfair or how would be dare to do so? No! it is because we do not have the time. if someone slaps you on the right check, leave and carry on your race. We do not have the time. Patience makes us to keep on going. We need to strive to have patience in trails. Saint James is saying to rejoice when we have so many tribulations. Be happy and rejoice when we have many tribulations. This looks un logic but the apostle is telling us to rejoice.
How can we rejoice in tribulations? Saint James have said tribulations gives us patience and makes us perfect as if James is saying God perfects us through trials. Here the point is, do you want to perfect accepting going tribulations? Do you really want to be perfect? Do you look to what is beyond? Do you look to the end? Then accept tribulation! We are so grounded when we have tribulations. We are so annoyed when we have difficulties. But can’t you see that the Lord can make you perfect through it. He perfects you!
The story of job is exemplary. He was a very righteous man, but Satan envied Job. He did not like him because he is righteous. He wants everyone to be dive. So he went to the Lord and said, “job does not worship you freely. If you take from him all his possession, he will blasphemy against you face to face.” So the Lord said to Satan, “Have you put your eye on my servant Job because he is perfect?” No one on earth like Job get witness from God Himself. But Satan did not want to accept it and wanted to destroy Job. He said, “Let me take his possession and see.” So the Lord wanted to prove that Job is a great man and help him as well. So Satan went and one-day Job lost all his live stocks. His camels and his sheep. Job then said, “The Lord has given me and the Lord has taken it from me. Let His name be glorified.” Satan could not take it; He went back to the Lord and said, “Do you know why he said that? Because You gave him so many children. Let me take all his children and he will blasphemy against You face to face.” Then the Lord said to him, “Take his children.” Satan gathered all the children, with their wives and burned them. The only servant who escaped went to job to say, “All your children and their wives with their children even died.” Then Job said, “The Lord has given me and the Lord has taken it from me. Let His name be glorified.”
Can you see the patience? Can you see the faith? Even after this, Satan did not leave him. He went back to the Lord and said to Him, “Do you know why he is blessing you? Because you gave him good health. Take his health from him; He will blasphemy against You face to face.” And the Lord said to him, “Take his health. But do not approach his mind for him to think properly!” So, Satan did. He made him sick, have illness and skin diseases not just for one day, a week, a month but for seven years. Job lost everything and was very sick and ill. Who can endure that? This is why Holy Church mentions the only man in the Holy Week by the Lord Jesus Christ is Job. His wives could not bear him. She said to him, “Curse your God and die.” Job then said to her, “You speak like an ignorant woman. Do we accept the good from God but do not accept the bad? Of course it was not bad or evil but a trail. Trials come from our side even from the diseases. Though the disease hurt the body but does not hurt the soul or the spirit. So we need patience to go through trails. Trials make us though. It makes us real people. It makes us courageous and perfect lacking nothing. This is why Saint James told us to rejoice; Look at what is beyond. We want things to be done soon and cannot wait. But the Lord today is saying, “By your patience possess yourself.”; “He Who endures till the end shall be save.” So we need to patience!
May God bestow us patience, Amen!
Source: Orthodox Sermon by Father Youhanna Yanny on Coptic Orthodox Dioceses of the Midlands, entitled “Patience Makes perfect.”