Goodness Is Tireless

"And as for you brothers, never tire of doing what is right." Paul (II Thessalonians 3:13)

It is common to encounter people who claim to be tired of doing good. Notwithstanding, let us be convinced that such allegations do not flow from a pure fountain.

It is only those who are seeking a specific advantage for their own interests with a desire for immediate gain that become tired almost to the point of desperation when they are unable to achieve their selfish goals.

It is indispensable to observe immense prudence when a particular circumstance causes us to reflect on the evil that is assaulting us, in spite of the good that we judge we have planted and nurtured.

The sincere apprentice does not ignore that Jesus has exerted His ministry of love, without exhaustion, ever since the beginning of planetary organization. With regards to individual personal cases, the Master must have felt the thorns of our ingratitude, on many occasions, when observing our backwardness in fulfilling tasks of personal illumination. In spite of verifying our voluntary and often criminal errors, He has never demonstrated impatience. Instead, He corrects us with His love, tolerates us with His edification, and extends His merciful arms over each renovating project.

If He has withstood us and waited for us for so many centuries, why can we not also withstand with enthusiasm whatever minor deceptions of a mere few days we must undergo?

The observation made by Paul to the Thessalonians is, therefore, very justified. If we become tired of doing good, such a disaster would certainly only show that, as yet, we have not been able to eliminate the evil within ourselves.

XAVIER, Francisco Cândido. Our Daily Bread. By the Spirit Emmanuel. Spititist Alliance for Books, 2003. Chapter 11.