If there’s one prayer I make most often, it is a daily prayer for a “prayerful patience.” When I read today’s Gospel, I think of the many times I listen but do not hear; look but do not see; contemplate but do not understand. I consider these moments as times when I am not practicing prayerful patience. These moments in which my heart is not humbled or quieted in order to hear God’s voice resounding are the moments I know I am closing myself to him.
I have always marveled at those individuals who could be enduring a tough time in their life and undergo it with such poise and composure. They are the ones who hear, see and feel the movement of the Spirit when hardest. They are prayerfully waiting and experiencing God’s work in their life and in their hearts. They are prayerfully patient.
—Lisa M. Sroka coordinates retreats and designs marketing materials for Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House in Barrington, IL. She is a Chicago vocalist and alum of Loyola University Chicago.