1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT B

-->

 4 WAYS OF ADVENT WAITING 1
WAITING IN PRAYER AND PRAISE

I recently saw on youtube a video made by an American who was a missionary to the Philippines. In it, he reminisced his great memories in our country. In particular, he noted how we have the earliest Christmas in the world, starting with the –ber months, and the longest too, lasting until after New Year.

It is easy to jump into the Christmas trend, with all the songs, decors, ads, shopping and all efforts enticing you to enter into the secular sense of the coming holidays. But the Christmas “trend” is different from the Christmas “spirit”. As Christians we believe that the great feast of Christmas must be prepared for by an entire season of waiting, by four Sundays of Advent. When you have the “bonus” you can delve into the Christmas trend right away. But without the waiting, in mind, heart and spirit, you cannot obtain the spirit of the season.

This Sunday let us start considering four ways of waiting in this Advent season.

THE FIRST WAY: WAITING IN PRAYER AND PRAISE

Once I heard a preacher who said that in the midst of the terrible Manila traffic, the great blessing he found is the opportunity to pray and praise the Lord. Today people find it extremely difficult to wait because science and technology have made things faster, swifter, and ready in an instant. So when we are made to wait, there is the great temptation to be annoyed, angry, and even violent. We get so bored that we try to think of ways to distract us from our impatience.

While we wait, though, remember that God is indeed giving us the opportunity to listen to him, to speak to him, to relate to him. Many people find reading the Bible or praying the rosary or having mental prayer while waiting. The bus, the car, the doctor’s clinic, the queue becomes a virtual chapel where a Christian can meet the Lord.

The first reading (Isaiah 63 and 64) today shows us how to pray trustingly to God, even though we are sinners, even though we have become wayward children. Isaiah introduces to us the face of God, our Father, who rewards those who wait for his message, his blessings and his presence.

So, this week, why not start of Advent by praying while you wait, by praising the Lord while you wait. This can happen in the kitchen, in an office, in a vehicle, in the streets. And God, who hears and answers prayers will certainly be there with you as soon as you start doing so.