Patient Trust

From one of my favorite Jesuits, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ:

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
   to reach the end without delay.
We would like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
   unknown, something new.
And yet, it is the law of all progress
   that it is made by passing through
   some stages of instability -
   and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;
   your ideas mature gradually - let them grow,
   let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
   as though you could be today what time,
   (that is to say, grace and circumstances
   acting on your own good will)
   will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
   gradually forming in you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
   that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
   in suspense and incomplete.

This is  from the wonderful little prayer book titled Hearts on Fire: Praying with the Jesuits. It's a great book - highly recommended.

Comments

[KiwiNomad06]

Thanks for posting this. I have been in a kind of 'limbo' in my beliefs for what seems like forever. I visited Lourdes earlier this year and there met a priest from New Zealand who lived the faith he preached. He urged me to come back to Church and the Mass. (Not many are brave enough to do such urging, and most I would ignore anyway, but he made a real impact on me.) But I still can't get my act together! This writing from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin I find very encouraging: it brings some new peace to a 'slow learner'.

[Steve Bogner]

Kiwi - There is a fair number of us who are active in the church and still don't have our act together; so come on back, you'll be in good company :)

[James]

What a peaceful reflection. Thank you

[KiwiNomad06]

No, I can't come back. I am "trying" to understand the Mass more. But I went last Sunday and the lengthy sermon/diatribe has put me off going for the next however long.....

[clarissa]

Resonating loudly are the words... "We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new..." & "anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete"...I much prefer a job done to a job in progress...but patience is one of the "fruits" of the spirit that has grown stronger within me through prayer and openness to God's grace, still it's one of the several areas that are under construction in me as I too try to get my act together.
Thank you Steve for sharing...this is one of my favorite of his writings too.
And Kiwi, peace be with you, the journey may be long...but you are not alone, I am praying with you!

[Fran aka Redondowriter]

I'll look this book up, Steve. I've never had much luck reading Teilhard, I'm afraid, though when someone synopsizes his thoughts, then I understand. Lack of patience is one of my character defects, I'm afraid. I was writing about that in my journal last night.

[searching for holiness]

Steve;

Thanks for posting this. Diffrent meanings to diffrent people and all that... gives some intresting things to think about in my life.

[Victor]

I really just stopped by to say hello but seeing that I’m hear, how can I not give your readers my Canadian two cents worth?

Although at this time I go to church almost everyday but it has not always been the case and maybe it’s cause our priest does not do much preaching on most occasions and it’s not that he can’t because when he starts blowing his horn, it’s not easy for him to stop.(lol?)

Anyway, although not every Christian will agree with me and they probably shouldn’t but I honestly believe that if we try to do on to others what we would want done on to ourselves, I don’t see at this time how we really can go wrong in the long run. I think that if we are really searching with a sincere heart for a better life, I honestly believe that God will answer in His Own Way and we’ll probably eventually find a church of our liking and if we don’t I’m sure that God will still continue to Love each and everyone of His Children.

Steve, I didn’t say do on to others what should be done on to each and everyone of us cause some comedian might just say something like, YA! BUT DO IT FIRST!(lol)

[Steve Bogner]

James - You are very welcome; thanks for stopping by.

Kiwi - Sad to hear that... but I can understand the repulsion of a diatribe - I've had some similar experiences and they are not pleasant.

Clarissa - I like the 'under construction' metaphor you use! Kind of like the road around Cincinnati, I'm constantly under spiritual construction.

Hi Fran! I had a heard time reading Teilhard too; a while ago I found one of the 'spiritual classics' series on him, which is a cmposite of his various works, and it was good.

SFH - You have a lot of interesting things going on to think about....

Victor! Thanks for stopping by and sharing some Canadian wisdom.

[Honora]

:-) This re-reading comes at a good time. Thanks for being a vehicle of grace. Only those who set aside themselves substantially can become that for another.

[Honora]

I have seen this re-posted, now, in a number of our 'blogs.. there is something in the writings of Jesuits that gets right to our hearts, whether those hearts are Catholic or otherwise, whether Benedictine or Franciscan or Augustinian flavored or otherwise. A wonderful example of the quiet excitement of God being in our midst.

[kiwi_nomad06]

Steve,
I have made a little collection of sayings, songs, prayers etc to carry with me when I walk the Camino. Yesterday I was talking with a priest and showed him my collection, that included "Patient Trust" that I found here. His suggestion was that this particular one was a really important piece of writing for me to keep and reflect on!

[Steve Bogner]

Hey Kiwi - This is still one of my favorites.