Part 3, Chapter 3
Fishing or hunting takes patience. There is much time spent waiting for the fish or deer to show up. It can take hours or even days for a deer with antlers to show up, and then again it may not show up at all. I imagine (since I have never hunted) that it takes a lot of patience to hunt. And that is the actual hunt, which is not all the preparation that is done to prepare to hunt. Whether you use a gun, or a bow, practice must be done.
We need patience in the devout life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a very, very important virtue to be worked on. We need it so much. “The more perfect our patience, the more fully we do so possess our souls” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 75). It is not as important as humility; still it is very much needed.
One of the great ways to help us grow in patience is to meditate on Jesus’ suffering. “Gaze often inwardly upon Jesus crucified, naked, blasphemed, falsely accused, forsaken, overwhelmed with every possible grief and sorrow, and remember that none of your sufferings can ever be compared to his…and that you can never suffer anything for him worthy to be weighed against what he has borne for you” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 78). What a great gift it is meditate in this way. It sure helps us to grow in patience.
PS. This chapter has so, so many nuggets to digest. I would suggest reading it again at some point to hear some more of the nuggets.