1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT B
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Advent tells us to wait. Wait for the Lord’s message. Wait for God’s visitation. Wait for the Messiah. Wait for the coming of God in history, in mystery, and in glory. But waiting has a bad press in this fast-paced and highly technological world.
Why wait when the internet can give you everything in an instant? Why wait when a message is just a text, a phone call, or a twitter post away? Why wait when you can connect to others via FB, Messenger, or Viber. Why wait when you can turn to Google your friend? What benefit is still there in waiting?
In life however, there are things that require waiting. The most serious events in life can only unfold slowly. My friend said she was anticipating her doctor’s appointment for her cancer treatment. She was hoping that the doctor has great news of recovery. A couple I know prayerfully wait for a possible adoptive baby, after they have tried all their best to have their own child.
But do we all know how to wait? Sometimes the experience is joyful and fulll of hope but at other times waiting can be an ordeal. And so we decide to skip the waiting and jump at the results we want to achieve, often with deleterious effects. A woman was so burdened with problems that instead of creatively looking for solutions and answers, she decided he would like to end her life by suicide. But this did not solve her problems. She compounded it for herself, her family and her friends.
When it is challenging and difficult to wait, remember to wait with God at your side. Remember to wait for God, his promises, his blessings, and his presence. The first reading (Is 64:4) tells us that God is our Father and he who waits for him will be full of joy. “No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him.”