Patience
Definition:
Bearing present difficulties calmly.
Prayer:
Dear God, help me to wait without complaining, to see You in my neighbor, and to let Your grace enter this moment so that I may not lose my patience.
SAINT
St. Gianna Molla
Gianna was an Italian doctor and mother. She loved her husband very much, but he had to travel a lot for work. When he was away, they often wrote letters when they could not talk on the telephone. She was honest about her hardships but was never bitter or angry. When she was pregnant with her fourth child, her doctors told her she needed life-saving surgery. She waited as long as she could into the pregnancy and then chose the surgery that would be safest for her unborn child. Her child survived, but the sacrifice she made for her baby cost Gianna her life.
PRACTICING PATIENCE:
- I stay calm in frustrating situations.
- When it is necessary to wait, I do so calmly and pleasantly.
- I can and often do delay the gratification of my desires.
- I see the value in choosing to slow the pace of life.
SCRIPTURE:
Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
The Gift of Fortitude perfects the virtue of Fortitude and its related virtues.
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