Rejoice, Be Patient . . . Pray
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Romans 12:9-21
9. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10. love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. 12. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. 14. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. 17. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all. 19. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20. No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." 21. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
These verses might almost cause one to think that a life lived in this way would be impossible! It brings to mind perfection and even Christ himself. How could we possibly approach being this Christ-like? And yet these verses also offer us hope, comfort, reassurance, joy, even an affirmation for how we chose to live our lives. It is, after all, a choice. The hope, comfort, reassurance and joy are possible because of Christ! We have Him and his resurrection as the compass of our lives!
“Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Those three phrases alone could be the basis of a long dissertation! Rejoice in our hope—not a pie-in-the-sky hope like a child hoping for a birthday gift. Rather a hope based on certainty and a longed-for future promise. Be patient in tribulation—not just “taking it” when things are difficult or challenging, but rather “getting through it” because we know that each trial and test is refining us, making us more like Christ. Be constant in prayer—really no elaboration is necessary! Prayer is the first, last, and middle step of a live well-lived. It is the essential element!
“Outdo one another in showing honor” certainly doesn’t refer to “showing off” to see who can be the best or do the most! Rather it directs us to be the most humble while being the most enthusiastic servant – as if you were serving Christ himself. The honor then goes to God—and we demonstrate servanthood to others. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” doesn’t mean just stand there and take the abuse another directs at you! It means disregard it—ignore it—act as if it never happened and don’t let it deter you from doing the right thing. No need to defend yourself when you’ve done nothing wrong.
Responding to evil with evil gives evil power and an entryway into relationships. Ignoring it is more than pretending to doesn’t exist. Rather it is acknowledging its existence and countering it with living in love, peace, service, and through constant prayer. Revenge is a waste of time and energy that is better spent caring for and ministering to God’s people. Leave the “big picture” stuff to God, and you do what needs to be done now. Don’t pass up an opportunity to be of service! “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.”
Sometimes we may feel worn out, just spent, and like there’s just too much to do, too little time, and certainly too few resources! But each of us, aglow with the power of the Holy Spirit can do much! By serving each other and others, we testify to the source of our power. By living joyfully, prayerfully, we stay connected to the Holy Spirit and allow the power to be continually renewed.
I often think of my Grandmother—my Gammy--and how she prayed the rosary every day and went to mass every morning that she could. My mom told us more than once that she believed our family was protected by Gammy’s prayers! And overall, we have been a very healthy family – now to the fourth generation! And now that she’s in heaven—WOW—those prayers have even more power! She was my first role model on unwavering faith. If my life is half as prayer-filled and faith-filled as hers was, I will consider myself blessed. And I think she exemplified these verses.
I hope you have a model for a live well-lived in your memory-or in your current life! And that you think of how they live when you make a decision about how you will live.
Mary
