God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen Author Unknown
Lord, may it please you to rescue me; look upon me and help me. “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
For the past couple weeks, I was following Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, a self-proclaimed “geek priest,” as he went on the Camino pilgrimage from Lourdes, France to Santiago, Spain. He posted pictures of his journey every day on Facebook and I loved how beautiful the European countryside looked. However, there were some people who were telling Fr. Roderick to slow down and there were times in his journey when he was uncertain as to whether or not he would make it to the end or find a place to stay.
Thankfully, God was with Fr. Roderick on his pilgrimage and was able to show little bits of Divine Providence. There were three instances of Divine Providence that come to mind. One was when Fr. Roderick couldn’t find a place to stay in a small town, but two Italian pilgrims led him to a convent of Clarist sisters, who let him crash on their couch in the parlor. Then, towards the end of his journey, Fr. Roderick was able to arrive in Santiago in time for Ascension and returned home to Holland in time for Pentecost Sunday.
Patience isn’t just about learning to wait or having to endure with the irritative behavior from other people or figuring out how to make the most of being stuck in traffic. It’s also about relying on God’s perfect timing and Divine Providence. Fr. Roderick was able to have a great pilgrimage in spite of what people were trying to tell him.
God will provide us with all that we need. It won’t necessarily be what we want, or even what we ask God to give us, but God’s providence will be for the best, even if we don’t understand it right away. Patience teaches us to fully rely on God.
To Jesus through Mary-Monique
Image by Alyssa Marie Francis
