We are not very patient people. We can’t spare the time to stop and catch our breath. Quiet unnerves us; silence is a sure sign that something is wrong; reflection and thoughtfulness are luxuries. We do not live in the moment–we live in the next moment. We need to be constantly connected, online, and plugged in. We are terrified of being bored. We are in a constant hurry–and yet we do not get very far. We struggle to walk between the austere, demanding John at the Jordan and the Jesus who welcomes and forgives all. Too often we let our fears and doubts, our cynicism and fatalism, affect our decision making. We are defeated by what is not rather than inspired by what could be. For all our technology, we are disconnected. For all our global outreach, we know little beyond our own little plot of earth. For all our education, we fail to realize what is good and right in our midst.
Advent calls us to patience–not patience that passively accepts without complaint whatever disappoints us, but patience that is certain in the hope of better things to come. In criticizing the fickleness of this “generation,” Jesus points out that wisdom begins with patience: to stop, to reflect, to see what is hidden, to listen with the heart. These days of Advent are a microcosm of our lives, revealing to us the preciousness of time and confronting us with our mortality. May these days teach us to realize the sacred in our lives, to behold God’s love amid our family and friends, to embrace the patience of Advent in order to see our lives and work through the eyes of God.
What issues and concerns most test your patience? Reconsider how you respond to and how you view the situation in question.
Lord of Advent, may your wisdom illuminate our eyes and open our hearts to behold your presence in our midst. Help us to embrace the grace of Advent patience, that we may stop and behold your compassion and mercy in our days and transform our lives with the peace and hope of your dawning at Christmas.
If you are like me, the observation that some of us consider silence as a sign of something being wrong hits a chord. I am becoming more aware of the blessing of silence in that I can find peace and be open to what God could be trying to tell me. That is something I truly am working on this Advent. I no longer need to be talking or be “plugged in” every moment that I’m awake.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!