Sitting in the guest lounge of the mechanic can force one to reflect on the topic of waiting. Our culture has meticulously sought, with each technological advance, to put the ban on waiting. We want it yesterday as the saying goes. Unfortunately for us, what this means is that we have stricken down one of the most effective means of growth in our spiritual lives. But how can waiting be beneficial for anything? Isn’t what we are waiting for, the “main event,” what really matters? Yes and no. We will never be able to appreciate fully what we have if we cannot learn the art of being patient, of waiting.
Advent is upon us. Another opportunity to wait…this time for the birth of our savior. If there were anything which we would want to happen quickly, it would be the advent of Christ! Let’s not wait! But, thankfully, we ask for HIS will to be done in our most famous prayer, and not for OUR demands ti be met. A central component of Gods plan seems to be waiting. The Jews were promised a messiah and were asked to wait. The apostles asked Jesus to manifest a physical kingdom and to reign over Israel’s enemies….they were asked to wait. And now, in 2021, as we look forward to another Christmas, we are asked to wait. For in waiting, if we surrender ourselves to the divine plan, we come face to face with ourselves and the God who created us. With our multitude of sins and his ineffable mercy. If we don’t offer ourselves to the master mechanic, there is no hope of our fixing. Just like it takes time for our road weary vehicles to be restored to their former glory, so we need regular spiritual realignments. Advent is the perfect time to let the Mechanic do His job. Will we let Him?
The Bapticatholic 