One of the characteristics of our age I think, is impatience! We want what we want when we want it: a new car, a new house, the latest gadget etc. If you have ever had a puppy you know that they have absolutely no patience as they flit from one thing to another. Teaching them patience is an important part of their training!

We all actually have to wait for everything in life that is worthwhile. We wait nine months for birth; we wait for love to touch us; we wait for vegetables to grow and for food to cook; we wait for the rain and snow to water the earth and to return to the heavens; we wait for seasons to change and new life in nature; we wait in doctor’s offices and at the supermarket and at the DMV! So much of life is spent in waiting.

Advent in particular is a time of patience and waiting. Not only do we recall the time Mary and Joseph anticipated the birth of their son, but we remember the centuries that the people of the Old Testament awaited the coming of the Messiah. These holy people lost patience from time to time and wandered away. But prophesies like today’s first reading reassured them and encouraged them to be patient.

They may have wanted the savior to come in their lifetime, but Christ was not born until the time was right. Babies are born when they are ready; in the fullness of time Jesus entered into the world.

Unlike popular thought, there is a value then in waiting for the right time. For in that waiting period, God is accomplishing His will. In that quiet, God chooses to speak and to reveal Himself to us yet again.

May the Lord teach us patience during this season and may our hearts be at peace knowing that in the meantime, the kingdom of God is at hand