I'm not very patient when it comes to waiting. I'm sitting down at my rheumatologist's office. He's a great doctor but here you know when you arrive but you never know when you will leave. (I have been here four hours already). The gentleman sitting next to me just complained outloud: "Como se demora este doctor (this doctor takes too long)." I can choose to join in the tirade and become more impatient. Instead, I decided this is a great opportunity to write about waiting.
Advent is also a time of waiting. As children, we waited for the arrival of Santa Claus or the three Kings, depending where you grew up. Now as adults, if we believe, we wait for the birth of Jesus. Of course, this waiting takes many forms. While we wait, we decorate the house, we hit the stores because gifting is part of the tradition, and we celebrate.
Decorating takes many forms. Some people go all out, while others just put a wreath on the door. Hopefully, every Christian will at the very least display a Nativity scene. My decorations have diminished through the years. I'm the decorator in my house and I find myself less energetic the older I get. This year I completely bypassed the outside. But I still decorated a Christmas tree, displayed half of the village, placed various decorations throughout the house and set-up the Nativity. A lot of my friends, empty-nesters like us, decided not to get a Christmas tree this year. I can't blame them, it's a lot of work. But I still love setting it up because every ornament holds a memory of years past.
Most people dislike the gifting and yet, they are catapulted into it like a rocket headed straight for the moon. Personally, I don't dislike the gifting. I actually enjoy everything about it, from choosing an original gift, to carefully wrapping it, placing it under the tree and the best part, giving it to the recipient and seeing their reaction. The only thing I dislike is that sometimes my time is stretched to the fullest and finding that perfect gift takes hours. The Internet has facilitated the process but I still like to go to the store, early in the morning before the crowds arrive, and search for the perfect treasure.
Another part of the waiting is the gatherings. It seems everyone plans some sort of shindig for this season. I attended one already this past weekend and I have invitations to four more for next week. FOUR. This is definitely the month to forget about dieting and concentrate on eating, drinking and sharing time with family and friends, old and new.
All these things are great but the most important time of the waiting should be held in silence. And we have such little time for that nowadays. It seems we are always rushing from one thing to the next, and that's why when we have to wait we become so impatient. But sometimes waiting is good. We need to take a moment to just be. And if we take a moment to just be with Jesus, His birth takes a whole different dimension. What's the point of decorating our homes, exchanging gifts and filling our tummies if we forget the reason for the season? The whole purpose of Christmas is to celebrate His birth. And every year, if we allow Him, He wants to be born again in each of our hearts.
This coming weekend, a group of women will be spending time together attending an Emmaus retreat. I must confess that when I saw the date, I asked myself: "Do I really want to add another thing to my busy December schedule?" But then I thought, "what better way to prepare for His birth." And since I was asked to be responsible for the Blessed Sacrament, I'm going to spend a lot of time in silence in His presence. And I am so looking forward to it. It will be like an oasis of peace in the midst of all the holiday madness. And it will help me to temper my impatience because there, I won't be in a hurry to go anywhere. I'll just sit at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to fill me completely while I prepare my heart to receive Him once again on Christmas Day. I'll get to feel, just for a little while, what Mama Mary felt as she waited for His birth. And I pray that I get to experience her JOY and her PEACE.
If anyone wants to spend one hour sitting at the feet of Jesus, you are welcome to stop by. Just let us know the time so we can wait for your arrival.
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