Homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent

Many people today do not generally value patience while waiting. They want things to be done quickly and efficiently. We have microwaves that cook food much more rapidly than conventional methods, mobile phones so that we are immediately available, texts to communicate simple things right away, emails to get written information to their destination instantly, computers, and personal organizers—all to save time so we do not have to wait.

A man recently told a story about trying to work through some new variations on his computer. It took a little time to resolve and crank the work on his laser printer. So, as he waited, he went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He filled the cup with hot tap water and put it in the microwave. He said that he was frustrated because he had to wait for the printout for his computer and the cup of tea. His mind then flashed back to many years when he was young and lived on a farm without computers or microwave ovens. He said, “If I wanted a cup of tea, I would have to go out to the well in the backyard, and I would have to pump the water, bring it back, and put it on the wood-burning stove. It would have been a half hour before I could drink my tea, and here I am, frustrated because it takes two minutes to get my tea and to have my computer turn out what it should.”

Waiting patiently, as I said, is not always our strong point. Yet, this weekend, we begin the new Church Year with Advent — a period of waiting. One woman, with good insight, likens Advent to being with child. She writes, “Waiting is an impractical time in our thoughts, good for nothing, but mysteriously necessary to all that is coming. As in pregnancy, nothing of value comes into being without a period of quiet incubation. Not a healthy baby, not a loving relationship, not a reconciliation, a work of art, and never a transformation. A shortened period of incubation brings forth what is not strong.” And so we must wait patiently.

Perhaps this is why Mary is Advent’s chief figure. Even though she said “yes” to God’s call, Mary had to wait. Patiently, she had to create space in her womb and in her life. She had to wait nine months to look into the face of her Savior and ours. She could not make it happen; she had to let it happen.

This is what we are asked to do during this period of Advent. We will make all kinds of necessary preparations for our celebration of Christmas. This includes Christmas cards, shopping for and wrapping gifts, working out the details for parties, etc. But we are also asked to make room in our hearts and our lives for some quiet waiting to reflect on what we are gearing up for in a few weeks: the birth of our Savior. Like Mary, we need to take time in this busy season to sit quietly and let the Spirit do what it will.