When Simone Weil began to read and study the Gospels, she was immediately attracted to them. One aspect of Christ's teaching that affected her deeply was the concept of 'waiting in patience'. Simone saw in it a confirmation of her own basic disposition of attention. It was a discovery that moved her deeply. Father Perrin, who knew her personally for some time, narrates: "This insight was a very personal discovery for her. She rejoiced over it at Marseilles and talked to me about it. She remained excited about it in London and discussed it with her friends."
Simone derived the notion of the servant "waiting for the master" from the Gospel. Christ spoke of different kinds of servants, Simone points out, and thereby he indicated different ways of service.
There is the servant who works in the field and comes home after hard work. This servant is not invited to have his own meal; rather, he is made to do work again so that his master can eat first (Luke 17, 7-10).
But there is another kind of servant who waits for his master to come back. If the master finds him vigilant at his return, even when he comes at an unexpected hour, the master will reward him in a very personal way. He will make the servant sit at the table and will wait on him (Luke 12, 35-37; cf. Matthew 24, 45-51). Not the working slave, but the slave who waits is the better model, says Simone.
''The slave who is to be loved is he who stands upright and motionless by the door in a state of watching, waiting, attention, desire-ready to open as soon as he hears a knock. Neither weariness, nor hunger, nor the requests, the friendly invitations, the blows or jeers of his companions, nor the rumours which may be circulated round him to the effect that his master is dead or angry and determined to hurt him. Nothing will disturb in slightest degree his attentive stillness".
''(You must strive to) be the slave-faithfully waiting while the master is absent, watching and listening-ready to open the door to him as soon as he knocks. The master will then make you sit down and himself serve you with food. Only this waiting, this attention, can move the master to treat you with such amazing tenderness.... The thing which forces the master to make hirriself the slave of his slave, and to love you, has nothing to do with hard work. Still less is it the result of a search which you might have been bold enough to undertake on your own initiative. It is only watching, waiting, attention''.
Text from: JOHN WIJNGAARDS, Experiencing Jesus, Notre Dame, Indiana 1981.
