Wait ....by Sr. Monika

I was born in the front seat of our car. Dad made it to the hospital driveway. The doctor and nurses came outside on that early, snowy February morning to help Mom and me. One nurse took my 11 month old sister, one nurse took me, one nurse took Mom, and Dad went to the ER to have his broken thumb looked at. He had slipped in the snow and caught his thumb on the picket fence in our yard. What a memorable time! And ever since that day, I have been labeled “impatient.”

O Antiphons chip carving by Sr. Monika

I think that might be why I love Advent. During Advent we wait. We figuratively wait for the coming of the Infant Jesus, we wait for the Second Coming of the Christ, and we wait for celebrations. And the waiting is softened by the things we do during Advent. That’s the part I appreciate. We gather around the Advent wreath and sing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” We light the candles of the wreath according to the week of Advent. I especially like the pink candle and the “Rejoice!” theme of the third week. In our community we also sing the O Antiphons ( https://www.usccb.org/prayers/o-antiphons-advent ) in heightened anticipation of celebrating the mystery of the Incarnation.

These practices help me to WAIT in patience. We have little opportunity in our country to learn about waiting in patience. We can get same day delivery for all the goods we need. We can get instant answers to questions from the Internet. And we can get annoyed when we wait in line for service. Our modern western culture does not reward “waiting.” Instant gratification is rewarded. But some things just take time. I pray for peace. Eventually it will come. I pray for justice. Eventually it will come. I pray for the health of our planet. Eventually it will come. It all takes lots of time.

 Advent teaches us the way of waiting in patience. The chosen people waited for thousands of years for the Messiah, a wonderful example of waiting in patience. May these last days of Advent 2023 be for you a fruitful time of awaiting the birth of the Long Expected One.