Parish Voices
Bulletin For The Third Week Of Ordinary Time 

Man, I hate having to be patient and rely on other people! When I was young, they used to say that I was "driven by a motor." As silly as that saying is (what else are things driven by?), there is some truth to it. I like to get things done. Some people like to sit on things, and it drives me absolutely nuts. I'm not alone in wanting people to conform to my ways and stick to my schedule. Some of us may not be shy about letting them know exactly how we feel about it, while others of us are non-confrontational and prefer to let things play out. This same impatience can bleed through into our relationship with God. "Why hasn't he answered my prayer?" we might ask ourselves as we bow our heads for seemingly the hundredth time. "How long does he expect me to continue to put up with this?" While our lives appear to be short, and thus our time appears to be valuable, it is important to remember that we were created to live eternally. St. Cyprian asked a question that has always stuck with me. He asked, "How can anyone be either wise or patient unless he knows the wisdom and patience of God?" It takes a lot of self-control to be a patient person. Even right now, as I write this, my phone keeps going off. It's driving me completely bananas, and I can feel myself gritting my teeth. I can't control that people are texting me while I'm busy, but I can control how I respond. St. Philip Neri said, "Sufferings are a kind of paradise to him who suffers them with patience, while they are a hell to him who has no patience." When we learn to be patient, we let go of annoyance. Being annoyed is one of the worst feelings, I'm sure you can agree, and it often leads to stress and anger if left unchecked. If we choose to accept life's little irritations, we are freed from the temptation to lash out and sin and are instead given opportunities for spiritual growth. So, while I may want things to be set in motion now, instead of waiting for this person to do it their way, it may be a good idea to remember the words of  St. Bonaventure when he warned, "Beware of becoming vexed or impatient at the faults of others; for it would be folly, when you see a man falling into a ditch, to throw yourself into another for no purpose." That visual makes me laugh, but he makes a good point. Don't let someone lead you to the point of sin. Remember, you can't control them. I'll leave you with one final quote. "If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the Cross, great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things that one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the Cross and did so patiently." --Saint Thomas Aquinas. God bless you all, Adam