The opening prayer for our Palm Sunday liturgy asks God to “graciously grant that we may heed Jesus’ lesson of patient suffering”.
Patience in suffering. Seems that this is a prayer that we surely need at this time!
Patience because we really don’t know what the outcome will be. Or when – though we do know that it will take some time. Time to slow the spread and save lives. Time to develop vaccines. Time to discover treatments. Time to return to some sense of normalcy…. although for sure it will not be to a world as it existed six months ago.
Suffering because it is what those who have caught the virus are going through. Suffering also in the families of those who had a loved one die. Suffering because of our fear for our own health, for the safety our family, and our loved ones.
I don’t know about you, but when I am suffering, I find that I have a lot less patience. Yet, to journey through these ambiguous days ahead will require that we have an abundance of patience in our suffering.
And maybe that’s why the opening prayer from today’s Mass is so profound. This year, more than any year that we have experienced, is one where we desperately need Gods grace to help us cope in patient suffering.
Perhaps as we journey through this Holy Week we can reflect on how our Lord Jesus also experienced the unknown future and its unknown risks – yet trusted in God that it would all work out. And pray that we too can trust in God the way our Saviour did.