Tami Urcia
By Tami Urcia | Diocesan | Inspiration Daily
I will be the first to admit that I am not a very patient person. Sure, I could blame it on how the world we live in offers immediate gratification, information at our fingertips or food through a drive-thru window. I could blame it on my upbringing, noticing similar behaviors coming from my parents, and imitating that. I could blame it on the fact that every minute is a commodity in my very busy life and I just don’t have time for things to take longer than what I have on my schedule. I could blame it on any number of things, but truth be told, it is simply a virtue I have yet to acquire.
I’m sure you’ve heard the adage “Never ask for patience because God will give you many opportunities to use it.” I have definitely had many opportunities to grow in patience, but I feel like I simply grow more impatient instead. I find my mind spinning with thoughts like, “I can do that in 30 minutes, why can’t they?” or constantly saying to my children, “Would you just hurry up!” Nothing ever seems to be done fast enough for my liking, so I grumble and stress out.
It sounds like the disciples in Corinth were displaying some impatience of their own in today’s first reading. Paul admonished them saying, “when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” It appears as if when they got together as a community of believers, those who arrived first would go ahead and eat while others went hungry. This behavior was the exact opposite of the unity and charity we are all called to live out as Christians. So Paul encouraged them to offer supplication, prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. “It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.”
What a wise piece of advice! And it still holds true for us today. When you are tempted to be impatient, pray. When you are tempted to anger, pray. When you feel the urge to argue, pray. When you are starving and don’t want to wait for your kids to get home from practice to have dinner, pray. Lifting our minds and hearts to God will put things back in perspective and temper our vices.
We can also learn from the humility of the centurion in today’s Gospel, who felt unworthy to be in the Lord’s presence, so first he sent Jewish elders and then he sent friends with messages. He was a high-ranking official and well respected by many, yet he understood his rank before Jesus, his nothingness. His words “I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof” are so indicative of each one of us that we say them each and every time we go to Mass.
Lord, I come before you today in humility to ask that you may increase in me and I may decrease (especially in impatience). Amen.
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her bachelor’s degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on www.CatholicMom.com and www.BlessedIsShe.net, and has been doing Spanish translations on the side for over 20 years. Reach Urcia at turcia@diocesan.com.
[Photo by Pedro Lima on Unsplash]
