Homily

There is one virtue that I know most of us, or maybe all of us, struggle to grow in, and that is the virtue of patience. So I thought I would look up what some of the Fathers have to say about it.

Here is what St. Cyprian of Carthage says about patience:

"...It is patience that both commends us to God and saves us for God. It is that same patience which tempers anger, bridles the tongue, governs the mind, guards peace, rules discipline, breaks the onslaught of lust, suppresses the violence of pride, extinguishes the fire of dissension, restrains the power of the wealthy, renews the endurance of the poor in bearing their lot, guards the blessed integrity of virgins, the difficult chastity of widows, and the indivisible love of husbands and wives. It makes men humble in prosperity, brave in adversity, meek in the face of injuries and insults. It teaches us to pardon our offenders quickly; if you yourself should offend, it teaches you to ask pardon often and with perseverance. It vanquishes temptations, sustains persecutions, endures sufferings and martyrdoms to the end. It is this patience which strongly fortifies the foundations of our faith. It is this patience which sublimely promotes the growth of hope. It directs our action, so that we can keep to the way of Christ while we make progress because of his patience. It ensures our perseverance as sons of God while we imitate the patience of the Father.”

Dear friends, who knew patience had so much power?

St. Augustine says that patience is the ability to tolerate and endure something which is not good, and do it with an even mind, so that we do not lose anything that is good while we are being patient. He says that people who are suffering under some sort of hardship only make it worse by their impatience, and so they add a further burden to their lives. But patient people make that burden lighter by this virtue and they avoid the additional sins that can tempt one who is in trouble, because they will not give up those great and eternal good things they possess in favor of doing evil for a brief and earthly satisfaction. Quoting St. Paul, "The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the future glory that will be revealed in us." And in another quote St. Augustine writes, "This, our temporal and light tribulation does, in a manner we cannot understand, work for us an eternal weight of glory."

Once again St. Cyprian also writes that we hope for what we do not see and we must wait for it in patience. He says that St. Paul teaches that charity, or love, endures all things and therefore charity cannot grow without patience. He also points out that we cannot experience greater peace, nor can we grow in unity with those in our homes, in our public lives, or in our Church unless we also practice patience which gives us the freedom we need to grow and keep us from stumbling because of the weaknesses, failing or sins of other people, as well as those weaknesses, failings or sins that belong to us. Patience is, however, not just the ability to put up with annoyances that come our way in life. It is a virtue that helps us to reach our heavenly home.

There's a lot that can be said, of course, about patience but I would like to focus now on just two questions. First, whose life am I living? Well, my life of course, and that's obvious, but it is not just my life, and that's not always so obvious. How easily I forget. It is also God's life, not just my own. If my life comes from God, is sustained by God and will only be completely satisfied and fulfilled when, and if, I return to God, then patience is a great asset when troubles come my way if I bear them with a trust and a reliance upon God. The truth is that if my life was totally in my own hands, belonging only to me and no one else, I probably would have completely trashed it by now. But knowing that I came from God and desiring to end up with Him, believing that, as St. Paul says, I was purchased and redeemed at a great price – it is this knowledge that urges me to grow in patience with troubles and trials of life in this world. Impatience is often (not always, but often) a sign of self-centeredness and self-importance. But Patience is trusting in God, and it smooths the path to loving our neighbor as ourselves.

The second question is simply, "Whose time is it?" Isn’t it so annoying when other people waste my time, demand my time or want some of my time. It's aggravating when I must spend my time doing things that are boring, tedious, difficult or unpleasant because I'd rather spend my time doing what I would like to do, because my time is short, and when I can't use my time the way I want to, I grow impatient. The truth is that for unbelievers, yes, time in this life is the only time they can recognize and comprehend. But for we who believe in eternal life there is a completely different perspective, or there should be. The time we have in this life is also not our own but given to us by God to use wisely not just for temporal, material, earthly goals but ultimately God gives us time that we may use wisely to make our way to Him Who is timeless. I cannot make more time for my life, I cannot stretch out my years at my own will. My time is God-given and patience helps to steady my mind and my heart so that I can use time in the best way possible, to know, love, and serve God until I reach that goal where He replaces time with eternity. We are often horrible judges of how to use time or how to judge time. For example, it seems to us that good times fade in an instant, but bad times seem to last forever and ever. That’s not true, and yet it’s how we judge time. But if we remember there will be plenty of time when there is no more time, then patience can allow us to see more clearly how to use the time God has given us today.

One of the best ways to grow in patience is catch ourselves when we are not using it but being impatient instead. We can talk to ourselves and remind ourselves that we can be at peace, or more at peace, right now with this situation; that we can relax in the Lord. We can call on Him and ask for his help to remain in peace whether we are struggling with something very important, or just waiting for the guy ahead of us to get going when the light turns green. We need to catch ourselves in our irritation and then ask for patience to calm ourselves, not only for our own good but for the good of others as well. It’s not so easy recognizing our own lack of patience because it just seems so normal to us. But why should we think that frustration, irritation and anger have to be regular parts of our daily lives when patience can cure their bad effects?

St. Augustine said, "Patience is the companion of wisdom." So let us try to ensure for ourselves that they are not only companions, but the best of friends. And let’s believe that they are also the great companions that we need for ourselves.