“I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness form the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.” (Kahlil Gibran).
Kahlil Gibran is a Lebanese philosopher, writer, artist and sculptor, who wrote in three languages, Arabic, French and English who died in 1931.
Gibran wrote, “I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness form the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.”
And I have been reflecting on those words, for though Gibran was not canonised as a Saint in the Catholic Church, and did not even live a very holy, life, I feel that there is something of the Holy Spirit in what he wrote in that short phrase.
And there are two things that come to my mind when I think about all of this. Firstly, of course I consider the words themselves. After all, they are not only beautiful, but they are very true. It is only through our interactions with the flaws of others that we are able to become better people in who we are supposed to be. When I pray for patience – as I often do – God allows my children to test my limited fuse to allow me an opportunity to delay my impatience a little more each day. And the problem – in this example or any other I suppose – is that we are often so ungrateful for the opportunities these little inconveniences cause to us that we fail to see them for what they are – GRACE…
If the Great Saints were able to deliberately make themselves uncomfortable in order to suffer more for Our Lord, then why should I bat away the small grievances so as not to experience intolerance, ingratitude, and unkindness? Saint John Vianney deliberately chose not to shoo flies away from himself. Instead, he chose to allow the flies to crawl on his skin and to endure the discomfort they caused him as a sacrifice for the reparation of sins. And he did this because Saint John Vianney saw the inconveniences for what they really were – and opportunity for sanctification.
And in considering that I can see God in everything of this world. He is here – waiting for us to turn to Him. He is even in the words of an early twentieth century writer who did not dwell for long on Him at all. Even in those words, God could work His Holy Will.
And it occurs to me that if God could send me a message for one hundred years ago, in the writing of a man who is long dead, how powerful is the Lord my God! For He sends me messages about tolerance and forgiveness in every part of my life. And all He asks of me is that I turn around and listen to those words, because they are important and they will help me…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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