Patience Obtains All Things
Two recent Hope graduates were received into full communion with the Catholic Church this past May. Each of them shared their thoughts regarding their reception into the Church several weeks before it took place.
It has been several weeks since the coronavirus interrupted normalcy, and I am surely not alone in confessing that I would prefer an abrupt end to the current stay-at-home lifestyle. I’m also probably not alone in admitting that if I were God, there would not be a pandemic. I would have snapped my glorious fingers by now and the world would be healed. At a time like this, however, I must remind myself that it is a good thing that God is God and I am me. I must also remind myself that the Lord works everything together for the good of those who love Him.
This Easter season was set to bring unprecedented paschal celebration. I was scheduled to receive my First Communion on April 19th. I had been contemplating the mystery of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist in anticipation of this occasion. My hopes were high. What made it even sweeter was that I was entering the Church with one of my closest friends, and another dear friend was to be my sponsor. Because of the virus, this magnificent supper was postponed until Pentecost.
It is easy to look back and pout; the Lord did not give me what I wanted! I wanted a celebration, and I am instead receiving an invitation to grow in patience—probably the least exciting virtue to grow in. I have to trust that the situation I am in now is the very situation in which Christ is working all things together for my good.
During this time I have been developing a deeper passion for the crucifixion through an incipient love for the Mother of God. As a former non-Catholic believer, I have never opened myself to the gift of spiritual relationship with Mary. By diving into this gift, I have been preparing for the day when I get to consume the body and blood of my savior. I also have had the opportunity to read an incredible book called The Lamb’s Supper by Scott Hahn. This book completely altered my perspective of the Mass, and it is wild to think that I almost received the sacrament of Confirmation without this new perspective.
Brenner Wallace graduated from Hope College this May with a degree in Secondary Education. He recently moved to Memphis, TN to pursue a Masters of Urban Education with the Memphis Teacher Residency program.
This season has been a season of waiting for many of us. I quickly realized, once everything shut down and graduation was upon me, that my life was always forward looking. I was so quick to embark on the next school year, the next job, the next day, whatever it was, that I often neglected, even loathed, the present. Ever since I turned in my last exam, I’ve been feeling like I’m staring at the world for the first time. I knew it was coming, but now it’s here, and the Lord has been teaching me a lot through it all, especially patience.
I decided during this past semester, through much prayer, discernment, and spiritual direction, to join the Catholic Church. Confirmation was supposed to be on April 19th, and here I am, still in a state of waiting; we’re all waiting and fasting. Many of you long to return to the Mass and I share your sentiments. (I miss Mass and I’m not even Catholic yet!) Having my first confession heard but being without the Eucharist is not the most encouraging Sacramental scenario to be in, but there is certainly good fruit to be had from these times for all of us.
Between joining the Church, graduating, saying goodbye to lifelong friends, starting new jobs, and living with new friends, my life is full of the temptation to be impatient. I’ve been praying for the grace to be patient, to be present, and to maintain inner peace at all times, no matter how mundane my season of waiting might be, or how excited I am for the next stage of my journey to unfold.
“Patience obtains all things.” -St. Teresa of Avila
Micah Stilwell is a Holland native who graduated from Hope this May with a degree in Business. He recently took a position with Hudsonville Ice Cream.