We have two Zimbabwean priests who are friends of our parish. If you are new to IHM, we have two friends, Father Joshua and Father Anthony, who have visited us several times. We are very fond of them. I was speaking to Father Joshua last night and he bought his ticket and he'll be here the 11th of December through the 12th of January. When I spoke to him, before he bought the ticket, I said, "Whatever you do, don't get the same arrangements you did last time". He flew from Bulawayo to Johannesburg, perhaps from Johannesburg to Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., but I'm not to sure he didn't go through Europe. It was a very long flight as you can imagine. Then in Dulles, he had an 11-hour layover. That's right--an 11-hour layover. So I said, "Don't do that". The problem is that in Zimbabwe, you can't even buy a ticket. It's a major accomplishment to get anything done. I mentioned a few weeks ago that we sent him a letter he needed for his visa. We had to FedEx the letter. It cost $109 to send a letter because of the nation's postal system; it is just not there. Every envelope is looked at for something in it. I asked him last week, "What arrangements did you make." He said in his African accent, "I made the same arrangements." I said, "No, no, not again! Listen you have some friends in the D.C. area. I can call them. They can pick you up and take you to lunch. Maybe they can take you to the National Cemetery or to one of the monuments or the Smithsonian." I'm really getting excited. Joshua said, "Now take it easy brother, just easy now. It is O.K. Just take two deep breaths like you tell me." Then he went on to say that he is looking forward to the 11 hours because he can pray, he can look at people, he can rest and he can eat. So, I'm going to preach about patience today. I know, that is a very inelegant segue.

In the first reading, the father was patient with his two sons. Had he not been patient, he would have punished the son who obeyed him and he would have rewarded the son who disobeyed him. However, he waited to see what would happen. I'm going to talk about patience because it is a virtue that many of us struggle with. Some don't. We all know very patient people. I was just thinking this morning; I think people who are very humble tend to be very patient. Probably, those two virtues are closely related. Certainly, God is patient with us and that is what Ezekiel tells us in the first reading. "If someone turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life. Since he has turned away from all the sins he has committed, he shall surely live. He shall not die." Somewhere in the Bible it says that God's patience is directed towards our salvation. Patience indeed is a virtue. Often, we need a little more time to think before we act or make a decision. Many of us tend to react quickly, make mistakes, and later see the error of our ways. Now when that comes to buying something, even like a house or a car, it can be costly. However, when it comes to people, it can be deadly.

Lack of patience makes us ugly. We talked about envy last week, you know that thing we really hate in others, but we see in ourselves. The same is true of people who are very impatient, something we recognize in ourselves and when we see it in others, it makes them very ugly. Several weeks ago, I was shopping at Smith's. It takes me forever to shop at Smith's because I'm convinced that you know when I am going and you all go shopping at the same time. I always run in to close to 20 people. You know how I talk. Sometimes I hear confessions. Awhile back, there was someone, you know when I run into people who haven't been to church in awhile, they give me a sheepish look, they dodge you from aisle to aisle. You know. Anyway, I met this guy in the store. I said, "Where've you been? I haven't seen you." "Well, uh, abada bada excuse, excuse," he said, "uh…….I got to go to confession, Father." "Well, come right now." I said, "There's no one around. I'll hear your confession. Let's get you cleaned up." Can't you here over the mike, "Clean up in aisle 5." Anyway, I was talking to a parishioner and you know how small Smith's is, you know how crowded it is. Our two shopping carts were blocking the aisle. I was talking to this woman and some lady came up behind me and slammed her cart into me because I was blocking her way. I went and I turned around and I saw this face that was filled with hatred, it was like a scene from The Exorcist, all because I was blocking her aisle. Normally, I would get annoyed at that but it was so strange that I just said, "Well I'm very sorry." "Oh …arghhhhh," (she replied). She was so angry. I felt sorry for her. That is her default mode of being. Can you imagine living like that?

Another time, about three months ago I was coming from the hospital and I wasn't thinking. I was coming that one block down on Diamond, took a right on Canyon and I looked in my mirror and I didn't see anyone on my right. This guy was in my blind spot and I cut in and he had to slam the breaks. I was at fault. I was careless. He was angry and he followed me. He had a big, white Ford 250. He was blowing his horn, blinking his lights, and he almost hit me. I pulled in the parking lot here; the garage is in the back, you know. He pulled in after me and I said, "Oh boy, here we go. I'm going to get into a fight." Well, you have a right to defend yourself but I was thinking, I hope he's not big because if he's big, I'll have to beg and there goes my honor, you know? I think he saw my collar. He turned around and left. I'm sure not everyone has had a similar experience, but many of you had. Has that happened to you? Look at all those hands. They call that road rage. You know it's nuts. I'm not going to ask any of you if you felt like doing like he did but it's not right. It's very ugly when we're impatient. The whole world recognizes that patience is a virtue.

I love proverbs, as you know, I use them a lot because proverbs are the distillation of human wisdom, of culture. You know just in a sentence, you can get something that took hundreds of years to recognize. Proverbs are very important. There's a Dutch proverb that says, "An ounce of patience is worth a pound of brains;" an Irish proverb that says, "Patience cures many an hour of complaint;" we Irish need that. You know the definition of a well-balanced Irishman, he has a chip on both shoulders. The Japanese say, "True patience consists in bearing what is unbearable." Our Zimbabwean priests have taught us that with their hours of travel. A Yiddish proverb says, "With patience you can even bore through granite." Here is one that I find deeply moving and I hope you do to. It's an Ovambo proverb. Ovambo is a group in Africa in Namibia. It's very beautiful and meaningful. "If you do not have patience, you cannot make beer." I love that. There's an Indian proverb, "Patience is the greatest prayer." And you know it is especially when you are tempted not to be patient and you tell yourself, "Now wait a second" and you are patient, that's a beautiful prayer. A Turkish proverb that says, "Patience is the key of joy." I think that is right because if we have patience we can possess ourselves. St. Francis de Sales, the great spiritual writer said that, "the more perfect our patience, the more fully we possess our souls". That is very true.

If you think about it, someone who is extremely impatient, like that lady with the cart or the guy in the truck, they don't possess themselves. They are out of control. You know, they don't even own their own actions. They are always ready to spring. St. Francis wrote that, "Patience alleviates suffering by often making us remember that our Lord saved us by suffering and that in the same way, we must work out our salvation through trials and afflictions, enduring injuries, annoyances, and vexations with as much weakness as we can." St. Francis continues,

Complain as little as possible for it is certain that as a rule whoever complains sins. Self-love always makes us feel such injuries as greater than they really are. Above all do not address you complaints to persons quick to grow indignant and to speak ill of others. If it is expedient for you to complain to someone to remedy an offense or even to soothe your own mind, let it be to someone with a calm disposition who loves God. For otherwise instead of relieving your heart you would provoke it to even deeper disquiet, instead of removing the thorn which hurts you, you would be driving it in deeper.

He makes a good point. The basis I think of our impatience, is our pride. He says, "Self-love always makes us feel such injuries, such petty injuries, as greater than they really are."

Who are the most patient people? The ones who are poor and suffer the most, who wait in line for bread for hours. Do you remember a couple of years ago, there was an election in Iraq, people waited 18 hours to vote. They were so proud when they showed their ink-stained index finger, indicating that they had waited 18 hours to vote. They were happy to have the chance. Can you imagine if we had to wait 18 hours to vote? Oh the Letters to the Editor of The Monitor. The Monitor would look like a normal paper. It would have close to 40 pages. We would go ballistic if we had to wait that long. I can't even imagine. Those who care for patients with dementia are the most patient people I have ever met and I admire them so greatly.

You know it's been 2,000 years since the Messiah came and some say, "Why hasn't He returned?" The answer is because we are not ready. He is patient with us. He will return when we get it right. Apparently, His return is not imminent. In the Letter of James in the Bible, we read, "Be patient my brothers and sisters before the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer awaits the precious yield of the soil. He looks forward to it, patiently while the soil receives the winter and the spring rains. You too must be patient. Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand. See, the judge stands at the gate." Well today, just today, try to be patient and maybe we can carry that into next week as well.