Episode 3215: Nails of the Soul: Patience

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St. Cornelius, Pope
St. Cornelius did not leave behind an extensive body of writings like Cyprian, but some of his letters are preserved, particularly in the correspondence with St. Cyprian:
• Letter to St. Cyprian (251 A.D.) – Confirming his election as Pope and describing the situation of the Church in Rome, especially the Novatian schism.
• Letter to Fabius, Bishop of Antioch – On the same controversy, defending the true Church’s teaching on penance for the lapsed.
• Fragments of other letters survive in Eusebius’ Church History (Book VI), which give insight into his governance of the Church during persecution.
St. Cyprian of Carthage
Cyprian is one of the great Latin Fathers of the Church. His writings are much more extensive and remain foundational in Catholic tradition. His works include treatises, letters, and doctrinal instructions:
Major Treatises
1. De Unitate Ecclesiae (On the Unity of the Church) – A defense of the authority of the episcopacy and the primacy of the Chair of Peter.
2. De Lapsis (On the Lapsed) – Written after the Decian persecution, addressing those who denied the faith under threat but sought reconciliation.
3. De Mortalitate (On Mortality) – A reflection written during a plague, encouraging Christians to persevere in faith and hope of eternal life.
4. Ad Demetrianum (To Demetrianus) – A defense of Christianity against pagan accusations that Christians caused the empire’s misfortunes.
5. De Oratione Dominica (On the Lord’s Prayer) – A commentary on the Our Father, filled with spiritual instruction.
6. De Opere et Eleemosynis (On Works and Almsgiving) – A call to Christian charity and penance.
7. De Bono Patientiae (On the Good of Patience) – Praising patience as a Christian virtue.
8. De Zelo et Livore (On Jealousy and Envy) – Warning against destructive passions within the Christian community.
9. Testimonia ad Quirinum (Testimonies to Quirinus) – A collection of scriptural texts arranged to defend the faith and provide doctrinal instruction.
Letters
• Cyprian wrote over 80 letters, many to clergy and laity in Carthage, Rome, and elsewhere.
• These letters cover pastoral issues, the Novatian schism, Church unity, persecution, baptism, and the role of bishops.
Before we get started I have to ask “When will enough be enough”?
1. Why People Feel They Must Have All the Answers
From a traditional Catholic perspective, this tendency is rooted in fallen human nature. Since the Fall, man has desired to be “like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). That desire, twisted by pride, leads us to seek control, certainty, and mastery over life.
In our modern hyperactive world, this is amplified by constant information, technology, and a culture of immediacy. People think: “If I just know more, or do more, or control more, I will be secure.” But the Fathers of the Church warn us: this is an illusion. St. Augustine said, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord.” Restlessness grows when we try to find answers apart from God.
2. Why “Enough” Is Never Enough Without Christ
The soul was created for God. Therefore, no earthly knowledge, possession, or experience can fully satisfy it. Without patience in Christ, hope in Christ, and all things in Christ, man endlessly chases after “more.”
Origen and St. John Chrysostom often pointed out that the Old Law was a shadow pointing to fulfillment in Christ. Likewise, our restless striving in this life points to the truth that only God Himself is “enough.” St. Thomas Aquinas taught that even if one possessed the whole world, it would not be sufficient because man’s will is ordered toward the infinite good, which is God alone.
3. Patience and Hope in Christ
Traditional Catholic spirituality emphasizes patience (longsuffering) as one of the most necessary virtues for our time.
Patience means waiting on God’s timing, enduring trial without despair, and accepting that we do not see the full picture.
• St. James exhorts: “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it” (James 5:7).
• Hope in Christ is the antidote to despair and to self-reliance. Instead of demanding immediate answers, we trust in Christ’s providence.
4. Will Enough Ever Be Enough?
In purely human terms: no. As long as man relies on himself, “enough” will never be enough. Knowledge, wealth, pleasure, control they expand the appetite but never fill it.
But in supernatural terms: yes. In Christ, the soul finds its fulfillment. St. Paul writes: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The sufficiency we long for is not in our answers, but in God’s grace.

5. The Traditional Catholic Answer
The hyperactive world screams: “Know more, do more, be more.”
The Church whispers: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
So the traditional Catholic answer is:
• Stop seeking to master all mysteries.
• Embrace holy ignorance where God has not revealed.
• Live with patience, placing your hope in Christ.
• Recognize that “enough” exists only in union with God.
Summary: People think they need all the answers because of pride and the illusion of control. But only in Christ by patience, hope, and surrender will we find “enough.” Without Him, our pursuit is endless; with Him, our hearts find rest.
Nails of the Soul: Patience
Why Patience Matters
The Desert Fathers knew that the path to holiness was not free from suffering. On the contrary, they believed trials, temptations, and hardships were necessary for salvation. To endure them patiently was to walk the narrow road with Christ. Now you will say yah yah yah I know but that isn’t practical. I can be a happy go lucky person I have to do something or I have to find an answer. Actually you don’t. Learn to let go and truly put things in the hands of God.
For them, patience was not passive waiting, but active endurance. It was the spiritual strength to remain steadfast in the midst of injustice, temptation, and suffering.
In our modern world, where impatience dominates and suffering is often avoided at all costs, the Desert Fathers’ wisdom about patience is both educational and inspirational.
Segment 1: The Desert Fathers on Patience
• Abba Poemen said:
“Patience is the companion of humility. As a man cannot build a ship without nails, so no one can be saved without patience.”
Just as nails hold a ship together, patience holds the Christian soul together.
• Abba Isaiah taught:
“He who endures insults and injustice with patience has laid a foundation upon the rock.”
The test of true patience is not when things go smoothly, but when we are wronged and bear it without bitterness.
• Abba Anthony the Great instructed his monks:
“Expect trials until your last breath.”
Patience was not for a season, but for the whole of life.
For the Desert Fathers, tribulation was not meaningless suffering. It was the forge where humility, charity, and holiness were formed.
Segment 2: Why This Teaching is Relevant Today
1. A Culture of Immediate Gratification
We live in a world that demands quick solutions. Waiting is seen as waste. The Fathers remind us that patience forms the soul in endurance, making it strong against temptation.
2. Fear of Suffering
Modernity flees from pain. People numb themselves with distractions, entertainment, or even sin to avoid trials. The Fathers saw suffering as inevitable but also redemptive if endured with faith.
3. Impatience in Faith
Many Catholics expect instant results in prayer or quick consolations in devotion. When trials come, they become discouraged. The Fathers show us that the fruit of prayer is often harvested only after long perseverance.
Patience is the antidote to modern despair. It transforms tribulation into hope.
Segment 3: Practical Remedies from the Fathers
The Fathers gave practical ways to cultivate patience:
1. Embrace Small Daily Trials
Accepting inconveniences, delays, or contradictions without anger trains the soul to endure greater trials.
2. Remember Eternity
Abba Macarius said:
“If you keep death before your eyes every day, you will never sin.”
Patience is easier when we see beyond the present moment to eternal life.

3. See Trials as Teachers
Abba Macarius also said:
“If you bear affliction patiently, you will find it a teacher.”
Every tribulation becomes a lesson in humility and trust.
4. Turn Suffering into Prayer
The Fathers transformed hardship into prayer by offering it as sacrifice to God. Every difficulty became a prayer of endurance.
5. Imitate Christ’s Patience
Christ endured mockery, scourging, and crucifixion with silent patience. The Fathers saw Him as the model of endurance in every trial.
Segment 4: The Fruits of Patience
The Fathers considered patience a foundation virtue because of its fruits:
• Humility: Accepting trials without complaint purifies pride.
• Charity: Patience with others’ faults fosters compassion.
• Perseverance: Long endurance leads to growth in faith.
• Joy: Though it seems paradoxical, patience in suffering brings inner peace, because the soul learns to rest in God.
St. James echoes this: “The trying of your faith worketh patience. And patience hath a perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.” (James 1:3–4)
Conclusion: Enduring to the End
The Desert Fathers remind us that no one is saved without patience. It is the nail that holds the ship of the soul together, the virtue that makes us steadfast in faith.
In a world that runs from suffering, we must rediscover patience — not as resignation, but as endurance with hope. Every trial becomes a Cross, and every Cross borne patiently becomes a step toward eternal life.
As Abba Anthony taught, “Expect trials until your last breath.” But we endure with joy, knowing that every act of patience unites us more closely with Christ, who endured all things for our salvation.
Epistle – Wisdom 3:1–8
"But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery, and their going away from us for utter destruction: but they are in peace... Their hope is full of immortality. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign forever."
Reflection on the Epistle
This reading reminds us of the Christian paradox: the martyrs appear defeated to the world, but in reality, they reign in glory with Christ. The pagans mocked their deaths as meaningless, but in the eyes of faith, their witness shines as eternal victory.
For traditional Catholics, this is a vital reminder that fidelity to the truth will often bring worldly rejection. In our times, as in theirs, Catholics who hold fast to Tradition may be scorned, sidelined, or even persecuted. Yet the promise remains: “the souls of the just are in the hand of God.”
St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian lived this passage. Cornelius resisted those who wished to compromise the Church’s discipline regarding apostates under persecution, while Cyprian guided his flock with firmness and fatherly care. Both paid with exile and death, but their hope was indeed “full of immortality.”
Gospel – Luke 21:9–19
"And when you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified: these things must first come to pass, but the end is not yet presently... And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren and kinsmen and friends; and some of you they will put to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake. But a hair of your head shall not perish. In your patience you shall possess your souls."
Reflection on the Gospel
Our Lord does not hide the reality of discipleship: to follow Him is to face rejection, betrayal, and even death. Yet He adds a profound promise: “In your patience you shall possess your souls.” Salvation is found not in fleeing the Cross, but in embracing it with faith and endurance.
This Gospel resonates deeply with the lives of today’s saints. Both Cornelius and Cyprian endured betrayal and opposition, even from within the Church. Both faced civil authorities determined to silence their witness. Yet both persevered to the end, possessing their souls through patience in Christ.
For us, this means cultivating holy endurance in our daily lives. We may not face martyrdom by sword, but we face daily trials: ridicule for our fidelity to Tradition, struggles to maintain Catholic identity in a hostile culture, and temptations to compromise. The answer is the same: patience, fidelity, and trust in Christ’s promise that “not a hair of your head shall perish.”
Feast of St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian
St. Cornelius became pope during the fierce persecutions of Decius. He upheld Church discipline with mercy, defending the need for penance and reconciliation for those who had lapsed under persecution. St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, supported Cornelius against the rigorists and guided his flock with fatherly wisdom. Both were martyred for the faith.
Their friendship, preserved in their letters, is a reminder that the Church is strengthened when her shepherds stand together in truth. Their feast challenges us to unity in faith and courage in adversity.

Application for Today
• Remember the promise of eternity: The world may despise us, but the souls of the just are safe in God’s hand.
• Embrace trials with patience: Christ commands endurance, not panic; fidelity, not compromise.
• Look to the martyrs as models: Cornelius and Cyprian show us how to unite mercy and discipline, truth and charity.
• Strengthen Catholic friendships: Just as these saints encouraged each other, so must we build holy friendships that help us persevere.
Conclusionary Prayer
O Lord, who didst strengthen Thy martyrs Cornelius and Cyprian to confess the faith even unto death, grant that we, persevering in patience, may also possess our souls and one day share in their eternal reward. May their intercession strengthen us against fear, and may the sorrows of this life prepare us for the joy of heaven.
St. Cornelius, pray for us.
St. Cyprian, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us.