Waiting in Joyful Hope

by Fr. Dan Reim, SJ on the Third Sunday of Advent 

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christmas always brings me back to some great memories.  In particular, I relish the memory of my family’s Christmas morning tradition. I grew up in a large family and so Christmas had to be a well-choreographed program.  At first light, one of the rug-rats would rush into my parents’ bedroom to share the great news of the day’s arrival.  That “angelic announcement of great joy” set many things in motion.  Mom would rise to make the coffee while Dad set about making the fire in the fireplace and then getting the video camera ready.  In the meantime, all of us kids sat at the top of the stairs, two by two, sometimes jockeying for a position further down the stairs.  And we waited for the call from Dad which would send us rushing down the stairs, into the family room, to discover the piles of presents.

There was something wonderful about the waiting.  On the one hand, it was excruciating.  We couldn’t wait to find out if we got the one special present we were hoping for.  My brother would tease me that all I was getting was coal.  I didn’t believe him, but still, I wondered.  At the same time, there was a joy and exuberance in the waiting for something wonderful I knew was about to happen.  And so, when I look back at our family’s Christmas morning tradition, what I remember most, was waiting.  And I LOVED it.

Much of our spiritual life is about waiting.  Each of us has so many questions, so many hopes and expectations.    Waiting can be very difficult.  We want to know right now!  We want to make it happen.  But it’s out of our control.  So we have to wait.  But if we can trust, if we can believe that our God is good and loves us and wants only for us to live our lives to the full, then maybe that waiting can be less painful, more fruitful, even JOYFUL!  

Questions for Reflection:

Have you experienced something similar to Fr. Dan where waiting was a positive thing?

How might God be challenging you to find joy while still waiting?

-Fr. Dan Reim, SJ is the Campus Minister for Hispanic/Latino Ministry and Social Justice at St. Mary Student Parish.