Ignatian Reflections

1 August 2017 «

Written by Cornelius Buckley S.J. | Aug 1, 2017 4:00:00 AM

1 August 2017

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Again, Christ teaches me in today’s Gospel the importance of patience. Meeting him in prayer means seeing the world through his eyes and what he shows me is that it’s useless to dream life would be easier in a world without evil. To accept each day, mixed as it is means to accept him.

Patience is not weakness. It is built on a firm foundation. Didn’t Christ conquer death? So isn’t he able to make bad grain good? He invites us to collaborate patiently in this transformation. But I must do it with patience.

The good grain is mixed with the bad. That’s a fact, something to be accepted. It is useless to wish the world were better. It’s futile to stop and have a pity-party over my weakness. The Lord accepts me to do his work in the world as I am, as it is; not as I dream it or I should be.

He alone can teach me all this is not hopeless resignation, but confidence in him, the Master of the Impossible. He, whose Son died for the love of the world, can show me how with him, I can transform weeds into good grain.

Then there is the 1st reading. It is “a merciful and gracious God”, who shows me how to progress down his ways, patiently through the weeds, not stomping out the grain.

  August 1st, 2017