Of all the sermons that St. Peter and St. Paul preached to the early Christian communities perhaps the greatest lesson was not spoken.   That lesson was their friendship.  We don’t often describe them as friends yet they exhibit one of the key dimensions of friendship which is respect.  The Acts of the Apostles speak about their disagreement on the issue of admitting Gentile Christians to the faith.  Paul publicly calls Peter to accountability.  Yet they could set aside their disagreement when they came to celebrate Eucharist. Both Peter and Paul were great leaders and preachers of the message of Jesus.  If they had acted childishly and did not respect each other the early church would have broken in two and Jesus’ wish to take his message to the ends of the earth would not have been fulfilled.  When children tell each other that their friendship is ending over some small issue we realize that there needs to be maturation in the relationship.  Peter and Paul’s friendship challenges our faith communities to that same maturation.  The second dimension of friendship that I would like to explore is that of waiting.  A mature friend waits for growth in the other and does not force that growth.  The scriptural image of Jesus crying over Jerusalem is a good example.  Why did Jesus cry over Jerusalem?  It wasn’t because he had failed.  He cried because he knew what the joy that was possible if the people listened to his message.  He could see something they didn’t and in his love he felt sorrow for their inability to understand. He didn’t hold their ignorance against them.  He just waited.  His tears were not in anger but compassion.  There are those in our communities that don’t see what we do and they may ignore our suggestions or even find fault with them. The challenge for the Christian is not only forgiveness but patience as we wait for Jesus to touch their hearts, even if it brings a tear to our eyes.  The next logical question is how long does the call to Christian friendship require that I wait?  There are those who respond to this by pointing to the scriptural text which quotes Jesus as telling his disciples if they are not received by a town leave that area and “wipe the dust from your faith in testimony against them”.  It seems as if someone has put words into the mouth of Jesus.  Are we to believe that the man who said “I am have come for the sick” and spent the better part of his ministry with tax collectors and prostitutes is telling his disciples to give up?  My faith tells me that Jesus would never give up.  He would never walk away.  I believe that my friend is always waiting.  Sometimes he does have a tear in his eyes, but he never goes away.  Perhaps the best thing a friend can say to another is “When you are ready, I’ll be here”.