The season of Advent is a season of waiting. For kids, it’s the seemingly never-ending wait for acres of presents under the tree Christmas morning.
But it’s primarily about preparing our hearts, waiting for the breach between Heaven and Earth, where God took form in human flesh, to dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ.
Waiting builds up the virtue of patience. I laughed when I first heard someone caution, “Be careful about praying for patience, because God may just give you the struggles that are necessary to build patience!”
Listen to Saint James urging us to be patient in waiting on the coming of Jesus,
“Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors. As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
Let’s pray – Father of Grace and Mercy. Shine the light of your love on our Advent preparations, as we patiently wait for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Help renew within us a sense of awe and wonder that you would become one of us. Build within us a joyful anticipation as we exercise the virtue of patience. Amen.