Waiting patiently is not a strong suit for most of us, but the manner in which we wait speaks volumes. Waiting happens in so many ordinary ways: in traffic, in the line at the grocery store, for a package to arrive in the mail, on the phone for a representative, for the next installment of a Netflix series. We wait for realities which are much more significant and potentially life changing: for the doctor to call with test results, trying to have a baby, finding the right person, for a much needed check to pay the bills, in the emergency room. We wait... and wait...
Jesus is clearly asking us in the gospel: “ HOW are you waiting for God to surprise you with a visit?” And he will. “How are you waiting for the ultimate moment when Christ will come, as you take your last breath in this life?” Are you prepared, because time is fleeting, and this life is very, very temporary.
Do we wait by clinging to what we have and to the relationships we are in? Do we wait by simply not thinking about where life is leading, by refusing to face the reality of death, thinking it’s too depressing? For many, it is truly frightful and anxiety producing to think of the inevitable. Very human but very sad. What does this say about our faith?
God WILL come to call us and it’s imperative we wait for this moment in hope, not fear. We wait by reaching out to the lonely, the sick, the poor. We wait by praying to God in gratitude for all that has been given. We wait by allowing what follows the moment of death to sink in: we will breathe into a new life that simply continues THIS life. ALL will be given back to us but in a way that is NOT temporary. Our life will never end.
At one point, we will walk through that door or through those gates and be greeted by people we said goodbye to as we journeyed through this life. They will take us to the table for the magnificent Feast that will include our favorites and then some. Can you imagine what the conversations will be? Can you imagine what it will be like to shed only tears of joy and never a tear of sadness? Can you imagine never having to say goodbye?
As you wait, use the imagination that God gave you to begin to live that life beyond the gateway of death, right now!!!!!!!
Peace,
Fr. Frank
—Advent is five weeks away. How are you waiting for the Season that is all about waiting?