Forbearance, continued

Ave Maria!  I've been thinking a lot about forbearance since my post on it the other day.  I looked it up in the dictionary and learned that the word "forbear" comes from the Middle English "forberen," which comes from Old English "forberan," which means "to endure."  Various dictionaries define forbearance as kindness, favor, permission, indulgence, gentleness, leniency, tolerance, self-control, patience, longanimity, refraining, resignation, long-suffering, and temperance.

When I think about a specific virtue, I automatically look to the saints and other holy men and women to see how they've lived out that particular aspect of the life of Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.  Because they've "been there, done that," I can and do learn much from them.  Here's what I'm learning from some of them.

Forbearance is ...

... St. Thérèse of Lisieux delaying her own meager meal to daily walk to the refectory a cranky old nun who constantly and bitterly berated her ...

... Bl. Francis Libermann, C.S.Sp., accepting harsh rejection by his father for converting from Judaism to Catholicism ...

... Elisabeth Leseur listening to the endless caustic rantings of her rabidly anti-Catholic husband ...

... St. John of the Cross bearing being kidnapped by some of his confreres, locked in a six-by-ten-foot cell, and cruelly beaten three times weekly by them ..

... St. Faustina resolving in the face of ongoing persecution from her sisters in religious life, "I will refuse my heart to no one. I will be sincere even with those who, I know, will abuse my kindness" ...

And all of this forbearing was done with enormous love, for true forbearance is born of love.  Indeed, it is the love of Christ Himself who, hanging on the Cross, uttered the greatest words of forbearance ever known when He prayed from the depths of His heart, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:24).

Jesus, meek and humble of heart,

make my heart like unto Thine!

Forbearance

Our neighbor.  Most of us have a good deal to put up with from our neighbors, yet we generally forget what they have to put up with from us.

Still, we have difficulties even with very good people.  They are  not omniscient, they often make mistakes, and they treat us according to their ideas.  It is a part of the way in which God wishes to sanctify us.

Conceited as we are, we should be much worse if we were not corrected by others.  There are many excellent parts in our characters, but some dreadful gaps.  We are like trees that have not grown straight.  If we would let our Lord have His way, and bear with what He does for us through our neighbor, we should grow more symmetrical.

Why are we not more considerate?  Why do we form such harsh judgments?  Here have we great scope for true austerity.

~from Confidence in God by Rev. Daniel Considine, S.J.

Dear Jesus, so gentle and humble of heart, teach me Your way of forbearance.  And thank you for the myriad opportunities You give me to be forbearing like You.  Amen.