| Waiting |
| (Matthew 24:37-44) |
|
| Christmas
can sneak up on us while we are caught up in the mad whirl of shopping
and parties, and then gone without a trace. Too often, by the time
December 25th
arrives, we are fed up with elves and reindeer, sick of Christmas music
and tired of jaded decorations. Today, it seems every celebration is
anticipated too much until it is worn out before it arrives. This is the
way in which we live today: hasty, instant, disposable. |
| In
reality, Advent, which means 'coming,' is a time of waiting. Waiting is
something we are not used to doing. From the beginning to the end, the
liturgy for Advent revolves around a tireless refrain. Be ready, be
waiting. But what are you waiting for? Some are waiting simply for the
whole thing to end. Like Lent, for them, Advent is a bore. What are
you waiting for? You alone really know, but what should you be waiting
for? The liturgy never tires of telling us. You should be waiting for
the Lord, for the coming of a saving Christ. But isn't this a form of
charades, of play-acting? We make believe that Christ has not yet come,
and all the while every bell tower and TV channel, every department
store and cash register, jingles that He has come. |
| The
New Testament itself assures us that the Son of God did touch the earth
in Bethlehem, that Jesus is here in our midst because we are gathered
in His name, and that in a little while, He will be sacramentally
present at this table. That the Christ we offer here in the Calvary of
the Mass will give Himself to us in food. That, day in, and day out, He
is present within our whole person, because if we love Him, He and His
Father come to us and make Their home within us.
|
| He
has come. He is here. He lives within us. So what is there to wait for?
The answer, I suggest, is how you wait for the Lord. You see, there
are various ways of waiting. A poor old man on a park bench; someone
waiting at an airport; a pregnant woman in the maternity ward. Each is
waiting, but oh, what a difference! The old man on the park bench does
not expect very much. He will be happy if someone, anyone, comes
along—someone to talk to, to make the time pass until supper. He will be
satisfied if he is not mugged. His tired legs will take him from a
cold bench to a cold water apartment. A person waiting at the airport,
waiting for a plane, there is excitement. The plane means something. It
is all the difference between home or being away from home, being warmed
with the love of a family or being stranded with strangers. And then
we have the mother about to give birth—tension, anticipation,
excitement. But two facts are uncommonly true here, peculiarly
pertinent to our Advent waiting. |
| First,
He who is to come, has been there all along. The problem is, the child
has been a hidden presence. A bit unreal at times, not quite believable,
but at a certain moment, the child actually transpires, comes to light,
is held in loving arms, is uniquely here. Then there is joy and
rapture, peace and calm. Such, I suggest, is your Advent. Not the
boredom of a park bench, not only the anticipation of an airport, rather
a bringing to light. Christ is here, not only among you, but within
you. His life lives in you. |
| Advent
is a form of giving birth. Its function is to bring a living Lord to
life in your living. Christmas for you is not a given day, December 25th.
Christmas is when the child actually transpires, comes to life.
Christmas is when Christ becomes real to you. His presence, His call. |
| How
can we tell that Christ has come? One concrete test is suggested by
Isaiah and Matthew. You can tell that the savior has come if the eyes of
the blind are opened and the ears of the deaf are cleared. If the lame
leap like stags and the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the
Good News preached to them. |
| I
am suggesting that your savior may come to light, may transpire if your
faith is accompanied by good works. You need not fly to the developing
world to find the oppressed and burdened and the broken-hearted. They
surround you, at school, at work, where you play or pray. Bring food and
drink, bring life and light. Bring good news. Bring yourself to those
whose hearts or bodies are burdened, and you will bring Christ to them,
and paradoxically, come closer to Him yourself. |
| Coming
to life in them, He may come more to light for you. Let's all ask
ourselves a question. Does your faith life reveal to anyone that
Christ's kingdom is in the making? Does anyone see in you the One who
is to come or must everyone who touches you wait for another? |
|
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