EXTRA PATIENCE - A: 16th Sun in OrdTime

First Reading: Wis 12:13, 16-19 (23 July 2023)

“Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose” (Wis 12:18).

This verse states that God confronts tenderly and displays forbearance in treating evil around him. Despite being capable of punishing the mischievous (vv. 14-15) and rebuking the insolent (v. 17), God would not render immediate judgment over the evil-doers. But why?

The Book of Wisdom provides us with two concrete reasons: first, “that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance for sins” (v. 19) and, second, the enemies may be granted“time and opportunity to give up their wickedness” (v. 20). In other words, the former gives the righteous an example on what is a just, honest, and holy living and on how it is exemplified amidst persecutions and troubles. If God can forgive, his children—with whom he established a covenant—should equally do so (v. 21). Meanwhile, the latter gives multiple chances for the wrong-doers to repent and change their ways (v. 10). Particularly, God would “correct little by little those who trespass” and “remind and warn them of the things through which they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord” (v. 2). In being slow to judgment, God is being considerate to both the righteous and the evil ones to grow: he gives a clear path to holiness to the first while he gives chances to the second to change their cruel ways.

God is being fair in this regard. He is extra patient with both.

The Book of Wisdom was written within a Hellenistic context, where the prevailing culture and religion were a syncretic combination of many beliefs and practices of people of different provenance. This was brought about by the Hellenization policy of Alexander’s successors in the late 4th century BCE, tolerating the thriving of each one’s customs. On top of all these are the various temperaments, dynamics, and behaviors of people in a plural environment. Amidst this setup, the Jewish people inhabiting Alexandria and the diaspora needed to adjust their mindset to this complex situation, which would include stretching their patience and widening their understanding of their new neighbors who had not heard of the God of Israel yet.

As the Yhwh-believers had more restricting rules of conduct than the unbelievers, it follows that God’s People were expected to have a more refined attitude than those without faith in him.

This order does not translate to a double standard of morality; it only means that the morally informed should continue to act according to the instructions they had received. It gives them a clear advantage over those ignorant of God’s commandments since they already possess the blueprint for achieving salvation while the latter does not. Thus, they should continue to live up to the high standard they had been elevated into. They should not envy the uneducated for not following their restrictive lifestyle. They should be mindful that the more an individual can reach perfection and holiness, the more their eternal reward in heaven is ascertained.

In sum, what we all have is a compassionate and merciful God. We should always grab this rare opportunity that he gives us to grow. Let us not wait for this extra patience to run dry before acting.

- Rex Fortes, CM