The ability to wait for something or someone without getting angry or upset is a valuable quality in a person.
To be able to wait like that would require the virtue of patience.
Patience is a virtue because it contributes to happiness and living well.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul was addressing a rather serious matter with regards to the attitude of the Christian community in the Lord’s Supper.
He had to reiterate the instruction regarding the Lord’s Supper that he had received and handed down to the Christian community.
And he addressed the matter with this simple instruction: Wait for one another.
It may sound simple enough to just wait, but it calls for patience and charity.
Waiting also gives us time to reflect on the situation and our emotions.
Waiting attentively also involves discerning what God is showing and saying to us.
In the gospel, the centurion had waited for his servant’s recovery.
But when he heard that Jesus was in the vicinity, he knew it was time for an encounter.
So when we had to wait for something or for someone, let us take it as a prayer-break.
God is using that pause to prepare us for an encounter with Him.