Word to the Wise
Saturday, August 11, 2018 - Saturday in the 18th Week in Ordinary Time
[Hab 1:12-2:4 and Matt 17:14-20]SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2018 ST. CLARE OF ASSISI [Habakkuk 1:12 - 2:4 and Matthew 17:14-20] Write down the vision clearly upon tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses onto fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. [Habakkuk] We live in a society that is impatient with time. TV ads emphasize how fast a product acts to produce a desired result. (Of course they teach you what that desired result will be, just in case you aren’t in any real need of it.). Patience is losing its status as a virtue! The scriptures are more realistic, but any reading of the story of Moses and the Israelites in the desert will reveal that impatience is an old problem. Habakkuk counsels patience, and the gospels and epistles also tell us to be patient. God is not subject to our clocks. There are times when even Jesus expresses impatience with the lack of faith that he encounters even in his disciples. When the father of the afflicted boy in today’s gospel reports that Jesus’ disciples were unable to heal the boy, Jesus cries, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?” I think many of us can identify with that sentiment. However, much of faith’s development occurs in small incremental steps - two forward, one back. The wise parent, pastor, teacher, counselor, etc. will recognize this and also recognize what Habakkuk says about the vision pressing on to fulfillment. My experiences with university students and as a formation director and confessor have drummed this into me, and aging has added another drum! We may greet Habakkuk’s admonition with either more impatience or with a rueful grin, but it won’t make time pass more quickly. AMEN
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