Holy waiting allows us to soak in the love of God

Mama, I wish someone would build a time machine so we could transport to Christmas Day,” my 9-year-old told me the day before Advent began.

 “These days of holy waiting during Advent are special,” I told him. “Advent is one of my favorite times in our church year.”

“I know,” he said. “I’m just excited for Christmas.”

Like many of us, my son wants to fast-forward, skipping all the waiting and going straight to the “good” part of celebrating Christmas. In our desire to skip all the waiting, it’s easy to miss the goodness and the beauty that is the season of Advent.

This season of holy waiting gives us time to not only prepare our homes, but also our hearts, to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day.

As we celebrate this third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, we celebrate the joyful anticipation of what is coming – the Incarnation, God made flesh, the birth of Jesus.

The anticipation of the birth of Christ requires us to be patient as we continue to wait. In this week’s second reading, we hear in the book of James: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient” (James 5: 8a). 

Being patient allows us to soak in the beauty of Advent and can help us appreciate the upcoming celebration of Christmas even more.

During the second week of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius invites the retreatant to pray with the “Contemplation on the Incarnation.” During this contemplation, Ignatius invites us to use our imaginations to prayerfully imagine that we are with the Trinity looking down on the world.

In Jesuit Father Kevin O’Brien’s translation, he tells us, “Some (people) are being born, others dying; some running and playing, others sick and suffering. Some laughing, others crying. Some screaming and shouting, others praying and singing.”

The contemplation continues with the Trinity seeing humanity suffering, lost, hurting and confused.

Jesuit Father Joseph Tetlow continues in his translation, “Out of God’s infinite and eternal love, the Father sends the Son down to enter all of this, to save it. And then they send the announcement to our Lady Mary.”

The contemplation continues with us reading and reflecting on the Annunciation found in Luke 1:26-38.

How often do we allow ourselves to soak in the immense love God has for us? God saw our suffering and, out of great love for each of us, God sent Jesus to enter humanity. How often do we allow ourselves time to reflect on and appreciate Mary, our Mother, for saying yes to bearing and birthing the Son of God? Mary’s yes to God was a yes to the Incarnation, allowing God to be fully divine and fully human through Jesus.

I encourage you to spend time in prayer over these final two weeks of Advent thanking God for the gift of Jesus. Spend time with our mother, thanking Mary for her yes to bearing and birthing the Son of God.

As our appreciation of Advent’s preparation and holy waiting continues to grow, so does the joy of the celebration of Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. Embracing the waiting of Advent enables us to celebrate Christmas with the joy and excitement of my son!

Charlotte Phillips lives in New Orleans with her husband Kevin and their four children. She has a bachelor of arts in theology and a master of pastoral studies from Spring Hill College. Charlotte enjoys Mardi Gras, listening to live music and spending time with her family.