We’ve heard it so often: Advent is a time of waiting for the coming of the Lord. But I suspect that in the hurly-burly of the season it’s the coming festivities that are more on our minds, with all the attendant cooking, shopping, planning and so on. Any waiting we do is more than likely in lines, or waiting for an overloaded computer system to process our orders, or for the UPS delivery. Impatience comes because we are in a hurry; we have so many more things that have to be done.
That theme of waiting got me to thinking about trips I’ve taken out of town, either by plane or by car. On my return to South Bend, there is always someone very special to me who is waiting for my arrival. I am just as eager for the reunion and wish the plane would unload faster, or I had courage enough to go way over the speed limit. The same thing happens when I’m the one staying home and the other is returning from travels.
Does the same hold true when it comes to my relationship with Jesus? After all, he is waiting for me with great eagerness and love. Do I have the same eagerness for the meeting? Sad to say, a lot of times the answer is “No.”
On the flip side, we’ve all heard many times about how the Lord comes to us in the course of a day. Are we waiting for those comings? Looking forward to the glimpses we get of his abiding presence with us? Is there eagerness? Anticipation? Hope? Or is our awareness of the Lord’s presence to us something that happens by accident?
Instead of just going through the motions during this season of Advent can you celebrate Advent with your heart? A wonderful place to start is with the daily Scripture readings. Take 10-20 minutes each day to read and reflect. That’s alljust 10-20 minutesI guarantee you that something will begin to stir in your heart and soul. Your parish bulletin would have the readings, and there are many reflection aids available on the Internet. This daily time with the Lord becomes all the more important because the Advent readings are so full of hope and that is one virtue we sorely need in this world that is torn by terrorism and violence.
This probably will get to you after Thanksgiving, so I hope you had a wonderful holiday.
With love..
