For us, Advent is a time of waiting, watching and listening for
the coming of the Lord. And so it will be on CatholicTV! As we
prepare to remember the coming of the Christ Child, we are
asked to wait, to watch and to listen for a sometimes seemingly
absent God.
It is clear from practically everything we read in the
Scriptures that God wishes to be very close to us. Yet it
is equally clear that we do not often believe God is close.
And, when we feel that way, we may feel embarrassed for
having such weak faith.
The truth is, the great saints often felt and complained
that God was not present in their lives. And, before
you think it is only ordinary humans who feel this way,
remember that Jesus himself, from the cross, cried out, in
seeming desperation, “My God, my God, why have you
abandoned me?”
God most often speaks to us through whispers, not
shouts. It seems to me that God is most often found in the
shadows. This is why it’s not so tough to understand why
we don’t often “feel” His nearness and why we assume His
absence in our lives. When it comes to knowing God’s
presence among us, we are all too often like people with
iPods who, having listened to loud music for so long, have
damaged their hearing, and are no longer able to hear
whispers or subtle sounds.
This is why the Church insists on the waiting of Advent.
For me, the greatest wonder and joy of the coming Feast is
found in that quiet anticipation. If we are to see the fragile
light that dawns among us in the Christ Child, we must sit
a while in the quiet darkness. If we are to hear the songs
the angels sing, and not just hear our own voices, we must
first be still and listen, carefully, in silence.
And so I pray that the coming weeks are full of wonder
for you. Happy waiting and listening.
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