Wait a Minute!
Excerpt from Hosea 11:12-12:14
"Return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and waiting continually for your God."
Reflection by William C. Green
Hot for action in support of love and justice, the disciples were stopped in their tracks. Jesus said in effect, "Hold on! Wait a minute! Stay here in Jerusalem until you have received God's Spirit. Then you'll do a lot for love and justice all over the place." So the disciples spent time together in prayer right where they were. They were struck by power they would have been missed had Jesus' advice been ignored. (Acts 1:4-8)
As someone put it, "Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears." St. Augustine said, more solemnly, "Patience is the companion of wisdom."
Of course, patience is not natural for most of us. Any parent or partner knows this, facing disappointment or disagreement that arises as naturally as another day. And so it is elsewhere, including at church, when the Council has a mind of its own, and it's not yours, or mine.
We confuse patience with passivity. Instead, it's often the key to greater effectiveness. Getting ourselves together "inside" helps us act more wisely "outside."
I can't stay true to anything worthwhile, I can't hold onto ideals like "love and justice," unless I have confidence not jerked around by circumstance. This confidence is renewed when we hold on, wait a minute, and remember God's promise of strength and guidance.
Prayer
God, grant us the urgency of those who love, and the patience of those who are loved. Amen.
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