The Basilica della Santa Casa (English: Basilica of the Holy House) is a Marian shrine in Loreto, in the Marches, Italy. The basilica is known for enshrining the house in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed by some Catholics to have lived. Pious legends claim the same house was flown over by angelic beings from Nazareth to Tersatto (Trsat in Croatia), then to Recanati, before arriving at the current site.
The basilica is also known for enshrining the Madonna and Child image of “Our Lady of Loreto”. Pope Benedict XV designated the religious image as patroness of air passengers and auspicious travel on 24 March 1920. Pope Pius XI granted a Canonical Coronation to the venerated image of made of Cedar of Lebanon on 5 September 1922, replacing the original Marian image consumed in fire on 23 February 1921.
Isa 40:25-31
Mt 11:28-30
He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming. He gives strength to the wearied, he strengthens the powerless…They run and do not grow weary, walk and never tire.
Have you ever lost your patience? With God, with others or with yourself? Have you ever pondered what is patience? What does patience look like?
According to a Catholic resource, “…patience is a virtue which allows us to accept, for the love of God, generously and peacefully, everything that is displeasing to our nature”. In plain language, it is a grace that allows us to remain peaceful, calm, even joyful when people or things don’t go our way. It prevents us from getting angry, annoyed, and frustrated at people, places, or circumstances.
There are really three levels of patience we can practice. The most obvious one is patience with others. Most of us do not live on a deserted island, so we encounter many different people in our daily lives. Sometimes, people do or say things that affect us in a negative way. This is when the practice of patience comes in. We can practice this virtue by not getting angry or annoyed and retaliate spitefully. This is not an indication of cowardice or weakness. Contrarily, it is a sign of strength, of self-control.
The second area where we can definitely practice patience is with God. How often have we prayed for something or someone and felt that God was not listening nor answering our prayers? What we are really saying is that God is not paying attention to me, not answering me the way I want and at the time I want. I don’t know about you, but this is definitely an attitude of a spoiled child. We need to remember that God’s way is above our ways, His time is not limited like our time. We need to remember that we don’t have a right to demand anything from God; everything is a gift, even our lives. Most of all, we need to remember that God has a master plan for our good, which we are unable to perceive many times, but He is in control. All we can and should do, is to wait patiently for His plan to unfold.
Lastly, we need to exercise patience with ourselves. Most people would think that they exercise extreme patience with themselves. That would be true in some areas, but at times, when we are trying to better ourselves, we often get discouraged. For example, when we want to become more engaged in our faith and prayer life, we find ourselves distracted, detracted, and detour along the way. We simply give up and think that we are weak and not good enough to become holy. How wrong could we be! We are right that we cannot do this on our own. But we can definitely achieve holiness with the grace of God. Faith is a gift, and the desire to pray is initiated by God — He invites us to visit and spend some time with Him. If we struggle a little, it’s ok. Be patient with yourself and keep carrying on. Even if you take many breaks along a trail, as long as you don’t stop, you will get to the end eventually.
The most positive sign of patience with God’s plan for us, is the cultivation of trust. The trust in God’s goodness, mercy, and love for us. Adam and Eve did not trust in God’s goodness and love, and they fell, hard.
Brothers and sisters, patience is a virtue. Even if we don’t have much of this right now, let’s practice this virtue every day and, who knows, we can become a better person; we might even become holy! Wouldn’t that be great?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please grant us the grace of patience. Patience with others, with ourselves and with Your plans for us. As a sign of patience with You, may we learn to trust in Your providence more and more every day.
Thanksgiving: My most patient Lord, You have healed and forgiven us in so many ways, so many times. We thank you for Your generosity, Your mercy, and Your love.
OXYGEN 
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