This article by Bishop Robert Gruss was published in Faith Saginaw, the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw in Mid-May 2020
We have been living in the midst of this global COVID-19 pandemic for quite some time now, something never experienced before.
We suspended all public Masses from March 17 until May 25. During that time, we have not been able to gather as a faith community (at least in person). We have been ordered to stay at home for our own safety and the safety of others.
A Trial for Everyone
In the active society in which we live, to be confined and have our livelihoods so interrupted truly tests our patience.
Families being forced to spend far more time together than they are accustomed to can be something very positive. But it may also require great adjustment to family dynamics. Yes, it seems to be a trial for everyone.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when
you face trials of all kinds, for you know
that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance. And let perseverance be
perfect, so that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.”
— James 1:2-4
Cultivating Holy Patience
Yet, St. James tells us to “consider it pure joy when you face trials of all kinds.” How many of us are experiencing pure joy right now? How can undergoing a trial bring us joy? As St. James tells us, “… for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” What is this perseverance?
Another word for it is ‘patience.’ The testing of our faith produces patience. But not just any kind of patience. It produces ‘holy patience’. “And let [patience] be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
There is a difference between mere human patience and holy patience. Human patience can be seen perhaps as mere resignation, which is, “there is nothing I can do about it, so I will just have to suffer through it.” In other words, tolerance and passivity.
Grow in Spiritual Maturity
Holy patience is something quite different. It is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Holy patience means bearing the things of life, the things that are not good, things that we do not want.
This patience will enable us to grow in spiritual maturity, “so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing,” St. James says. Because it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, we can live this holy patience because the Holy Spirit is alive in us.
We read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “By this power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear ‘the fruit of the Spirit: … love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control’” (736). “These fruits of the Spirit are perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory (1832).” These gifts help us to become more perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Praying for a New Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
During this time of suffering, we must learn to endure patiently, with the help of the Holy Spirit, waiting for God to accomplish His purpose in us, individually and communally. In other words, we must ask the Lord to teach us to turn these current trials into positive opportunities for our personal and spiritual growth.
We pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all of us, individually, and on our parishes, our diocese, our communities and our state.
Living holy patience is an important part of trusting in God, as our life circumstances are not always what we want. St. Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians [3:5] offers us encouragement: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.”
Patient Endurance
This is patient endurance. Jesus patiently bore our sins, even until death on the cross. He took on the punishment for you and me out of patient endurance and his love for us.
"We must all embrace this current situation— and what is required of us— through the eyes of faith."
— Bishop Robert Gruss
We must all embrace this current situation— and what is required of us— through the eyes of faith. The Lord has given us this time, this special time, to come to him, to be with him, and to be transformed by him. It is a time for each of us to fortify and intensify our prayer.
It is a beautiful time for fathers and husbands to embrace anew their role as the spiritual fathers of their households, leading their families to a deeper life of faith. It is a special time for wives and mothers to enfold their families with the mantle of Mary’s patient love and mercy. It is a wonderful time for all of us to slow down so that we can let the Lord refocus our purpose in life.
Look for the Fruit
The sacrifice the Faithful have had to make in forgoing receiving the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist will bear great fruit through your spiritual communion. We must trust this is true.
At the time of this writing, these sacrifices are still required to keep us and those around us safe. We must continue to practice holy patience.
In order to help you to continue in this endeavor, please endure in prayer, to offer yourselves in spiritual communion in the livestreamed Holy Masses, to use the many resources available found on the diocesan website and to reach out to others in need in the appropriate way given this pandemic, “so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
The Joy of the Empty Tomb
By the time the March/April edition of FAITH Saginaw magazine reaches your homes, we will have concluded the Lenten season, a Lenten fast like no other. We have entered into the joy of the Resurrection. The empty tomb proclaims that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself. The “empty tomb” invites us to trust that we are loved by Christ, and that resurrection follows regardless of whether we see the path or not.
To experience the happiness of resurrected life means to be open to the joy it brings. It means embracing Jesus himself, following his example of holy patience.
"To experience the happiness of resurrected life means to be open to the joy it brings."
— Bishop Robert Gruss
Pope Francis has offered his encouragement to the world in saying: “Do not be men and women of sadness; a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them!
“We accompany, we follow Jesus, but above all we know that he accompanies us and carries us on his shoulders. This is our joy, this is the hope that we must bring to this world of ours. Let us bring the joy of the faith to everyone!” [Pope Francis, Palm Sunday, March 24, 2013]
Easter is a reminder that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life – that God the Father has not abandoned his people. There is no one and nothing beyond this depth of God’s love.
Not even death itself.
CHECK OUT MORE WRITINGS, VIDEOS & RECORDINGS BY BISHOP ROBERT GRUSS
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