PATIENCE PEOPLE

Patience People is a song that was written in 1977 by John Foley, S.J. for Advent. The song is based on the Letter of James chapter 5 verses 7 to 9 and 11. The text is: “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, ...Do not complain, … Take as an example of hardship and patience the prophets who spoke in the name of Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, …”

As our fight against the Coronavirus continues, it is easy to become weary of all of the regulations and guidelines that we must continue to follow. Because New York State and Western New York are doing so well, we are tempted to want to loosen the restrictions that we have had to labor under all these months. But remember how we got here. It was because of all those restrictions and guidelines we have diligently followed over these months.

There is the temptation to want to let down our guard when things are going in the right direction, but we can’t. See what is happening in places like Florida, Texas, Arizona and California to name a few states. Because they moved too fast and did not remain faithful to the guidelines for protection, they have seen a huge increase in cases of Coronavirus and are now going back to doing things that work: Face Coverings, Distancing, and Sanitizing. For many of them it has meant closing down again. Let us not be tempted to follow suit.

Let us be patient and persevere in this fight that we are winning at the present time. It is still important to wear a face covering in church the whole time covering nose and mouth. It is still important to follow the six feet rule at all times. It is still important to sanitize your hands frequently. Again, “We are all in this together.” What we do affects those around us for good or ill.

We have been doing well. Let’s keep up the good work until this is all over.