Wait

Advent is a time of expectant waiting. And waiting can be difficult for us to do, especially since the busyness of the season has begun, and we feel the pressure to get things done. We need to do our shopping. We need to decorate the house. Perhaps we need to make plans to entertain or travel. How can we achieve any sort of reflective state with so much to do to prepare for Christmas?

In spite of our busyness, we are invited to take a break from our normal routine and become awake to the ways of “Emmanuel,” “God with us.” We are invited to reflect on what God is doing in us now. Think of how Mary must have spent those weeks before giving birth to Jesus, reflecting on God’s creative presence, on what God was doing in her life. What is God doing in your life these days? How are you experiencing Emmanuel, God with us?

The apocalyptic imagery in the Advent gospel readings is striking. There was a concern about the end of the world in the early Church. They thought it would happen soon, within the lifetime of some of them. Before too long, of course, it became apparent that wasn’t going to happen.

Even though the world is not ending soon, we are still invited to a faithfulness and hope that God will bring us safely through our own tribulations, because in some ways our own world seems to be going to pieces, and that can cause us anxiety and concern. Jesus tells us, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy.” In other words, stay awake, and do not give in to the anxieties of life. Pray for the strength you need. The birth of Jesus lets us know that God is with us.

“To you I lift up my soul, O my God. In you I have trusted; let me not be put to shame. Nor let my enemies exult over me; and let none who hope in you be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:1-3)