My name is Gertrude Peacock and I am a PAPA member. I would like to share with you my feedback on Father Michael's treatise, The Practicing of Patience. I have read and studied the treatise with my favorite prayer partner. We read it together, out loud, from cover to cover, every single page. We reflected on it and had many discussions about the meanings and purpose of the treatise. The joint study, discussions and reflections helped us to better understand and retain what we have read. We were actually sorry when we finished reading the last page. We are both planning to read it a second time.
I am very grateful that Father Michael was willing to share his treatise with us as PAPA members. I consider it to be a rare gift and real blessing. While reading and studying it, I also applied the principles of critical thinking that Father Michael has been teaching us: The What, So What, and Now What principles. Here is what I have learned so far from the treatise:
First, I will never again think about or reflect on patience and love without
understanding both as virtues, as grace, and as gifts from God. I also learned
that love is a prerequisite for the virtues, especially for patience. The two
virtues of patience and love are very critical to those seeking salvation,
which is 'the what' statement of the thesis for me.
Second, the thesis provides information on how to gain access to the journey
of salvation by bringing the heart low (in humility) and by bearing with
sufferings and evil with as much meekness and gentleness as possible.
This is the 'so what' statement.
Third, the treatise provides tools and resources as the ways and means to put
into practice the virtues of patience and love as part of everyday life.
Fourth, the treatise provides the concepts for understanding the "practice of
patience as the virtue of 'love enduring evil,' delivering us from temptation
and bringing us to salvation."
So now that I have initially read, studied, and reflected on the treatise, my next step, 'the now what' is to put this information, knowledge, and these concepts into practice in my everyday life. I have learned that patience is a virtue of the mind. So a good place to start is with the critical thinking process. Now, the treatise will become a resource for continued study and reference throughout my process of trying to live the virtues of patience and love.
Once again, thanks to Father Michael for sharing his knowledge with us. It would be really great for all of us to thank him by making and taking time to read, study, learn, and apply these concepts about salvation to our everyday lives.
