Not Once

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/050313.cfm) reminds me that as we proclaim God’s kingdom, once is never enough.

As human beings, patience is one of the things we really need. The world around us causes us to become impatient – with people, things and situations. We want instant solution and do not want to wait. That’s why we came up with instant things – instant noodles, coffee, etc. We also have instant money via ATM or credit card, so we can avoid long lines in banks. We are impatient with people, expecting them to understand what we are saying after one discussion with them.

However, Jesus reminds us today that as we proclaim God’s kingdom and his message, once is never enough.

We can see in today’s first reading that Paul keeps on reminding the people of the message he preached to them. He did not give up on them, and he was patient with them, repeating God’s message to them. He did not expect them to get it the first time he taught them, the same way he did. In the gospel, we see Jesus again repeating his message to his disciples. It is again not his first time saying these things to them, and we can see that when he said “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? But he was still patient to them, not giving up, and continuing to preach despite of them not getting it yet.

As we work for God, may we be reminded to never give up on people, to never expect too much, to never be disheartened when they don’t seem to get what we are saying or don’t seem to understand. Let us continue to be patient with them, because as we work for God, once is not enough.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for reminding me that you will never give up on me. Lord, I thank you for always being patient with me, for always reaching out to me and making your message and lesson get through me. Lord, I ask for the same patience as I work for you. May I also never give up on people, and may I never tire of preaching you, of proclaiming you to others, even if they don’t seem to undersatand. Give me the patience and the strength to do your work tirelessly. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-