Love is Patient(September 1 2020) Love is Patient(Covid Reflection #6)
Love is patient; love is kind.
Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs, it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self seeking, it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries. Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices in the truth. There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope its power to endure. Love never fails. 1Corinthians 13:4-8 Covid 19 has been an exercise in patience and I am not, by nature, a patient person. My prayer is more likely to be: God, please give me patience and I need it right now! Somehow the confines imposed by Covid 19 have made me slow down, look and listen. With more time and very few options for activities outside of our apartment, what else could I do? From e-chats, phone calls, and other appropriate socially distanced conversations, I have learned that I am not the only one who is learning to be more patient. We all waited, and waited some more, for events that were postponed and often after postponement, cancelled. We waited for haircuts, toilet paper and restaurant meals. And then, when retail outlets we were waiting for finally began to open, they did so with shorter hours and reduced services. We learned that it might take a few minutes longer to put on the mask, sanitize and be screened, but that’s ok too. Relax. Everyone will be served. The inconvenience of stores that are not open all day and most of the night, seven days a week has taught me that I am perfectly able to manage with retail outlets that don’t open as early or stay open as late as they did before covid. In the beginning weeks, back in March, I found myself straining against the bonds of the pandemic that made me stay at home while a granddaughter shopped for our groceries. I quickly realized how blessed we are to have twenty-something grandchildren and thanked God for them. Early on I missed restaurant meals. Delivering groceries and leaving them on the porches of our friends who call for help without a real home visit opened my eyes to how blessed we are to be able to prepare our own meals. Watching Sunday masses on TV was a shallow imitation of our parish community celebrating Eucharist but it taught me to wait patiently for our churches to begin opening and to treasure the first weekday mass my husband and I attended. Living in the last area of Ontario to enter stage 3 has taught me patience. I am not there yet, but I am getting there. With God’s help I can become the patient person God asks me to be. Pray for me; I’ll pray for you. Denise |
