I have learned that the greatest power is hidden in patience. I see that patience always leads to victory, although not immediately; but that victory will become manifest after many years. Patience is linked to meekness. Faustina Kowalska, The Diary, 1514.
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clean? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? Tao Te Ching 15, quoted after Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom, P.151.
I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world. Tao Te Ching 67, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World's Wisdom. P.164.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing make you afraid,
All things are passing,
God alone never changes.
Patience gains all things.
If you have God you will want for nothing.
God alone suffices.
Kirvan, John. (1996). Let Nothing Disturb You: A Journey to the Center of the Soul with Teresa of Avila. Submitted to L-Center Discussion Group by Kim kim1kim@yahoo.com
Contemplative prayer will go through various stages and vicissitudes.
You may have experiences that will leave you in confusion. The Lord will
bring help to you through a book, a person, or your own patience. Sometimes
it is God's will to leave you alone without any help. You may have to learn
to live with impossible situations. People who can live peacefully in impossible
situations will make great headway in the spiritual journey. You
will come up against loneliness and existential
dread. You may feel as if nobody in the world understands you or could
help you and that God is a billion light-years away. All these things
are part of the preparation process. God is like a farmer preparing the
soil of our soul to bear not just forty-fold or sixtyfold, but a hundredfold.
That means that the soil has to be well tilled. It is as if God drives
His tractor over the field of our soul and harrows it in one direction,
then in the opposite direction, and then He goes around in a circle. He
keeps doing the same thing again and again until the soil becomes as fine
as sand. When all is ready, the seed is sown." Keating, Thomas. Open
Mind, Open Heart. P.106
(…) Everything passes exactly according to God's plan. Have patience, persevere in prayer and in penance. Everything happens in its own time. Our Lady of Medjugorie, 1984-1985. Words from Heaven, P.162.
(…) Be patient and persevere in prayer. Do not permit satan to take away your courage. (…) Our Lady of Medjugorie, January 14, 1985. Words from Heaven, P.164.
True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. (...) Tao Te Ching 48, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World Wisdom, P.155.
Rushing into action, you fail. Trying to grasp things, you lose them. Forcing a project to completion, you ruin what was almost ripe. (...). Tao Te Ching 64, quoted after: Novak Philip, The World Wisdom, P.155.
Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus, the end of the rain, the return of a friend, the resolution of a conflict. Patience is not a waiting passivity until someone else does something. Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are. When we are impatient we try to get away from where we are. We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later and somewhere else. Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand. Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey. P. Jan. 5.
He who bears distress patiently will attain joy, and he who endures the repulsive will know delight. St. Evagrios the Solitary (345-399 C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.66.
When tested by some trial you should try to find out not why or through whom it came, but only how to endure it gratefully, without distress or rancor. St. Mark the Ascetic (4th Century C.E.), quoted in: The Philokalia, Vol. I., P.142.
Patiently endure the distressing and painful things that befall you, for through them God in His providence is purifying you. St. Thalassios the Libyan (VI-VII Century C.E.), quoted in: (1981). The Philokalia. Vol. II., P.308.
By waiting and calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies. Isaiah 30:15, quoted in: Pennington, Basil. (1978). O Holy Mountain! Journal of a Retreat on Mount Athos. P.228.
See also the related subjects: Compassion, Composure, Discipline, Faith, God's Love for Humans, Human Love, Interdependence, Righteousness, Service, Tolerance, Will.
Last updated: 2008/03/25