Third Sunday of Advent

Secon Reading: James 5:7-10

 

Patience.  It’s mentioned four times in this four line passage.  That’s why I chose to reflect on the second reading instead of the gospel this week.  While I was trying my best to reflect upon the gospel, this theme of patience kept coming back to me.  I finally gave in and thought, “Well, that’s where the Holy Spirit wants me to go.” So here we are.

 

When I first read this passage an event that occurred at mass a few weeks ago immediately came to mind.  We were about three quarters of the way through communion when, almost simultaneously, all four ministers of the Eucharist ran out of hosts.   The presider went to the tabernacle and then met the remaining three ministers at the altar to divide up the hosts that had been kept in reserve.  Those on line for communion stood in place until each minister returned to his/her station.

 

In the sanctuary after mass the sacristan apologized profusely for miscounting the number of people in the congregation, to which someone replied, “Don’t worry.  It’s alright.  You gave everyone a Holy Saturday moment:  everyone had the opportunity to wait patiently for the return of the Lord.”   The presider smiled heartily at this theological pronouncement, and all went in peace.

 

In looking back on this I realized that it was truly an Advent moment as well.  They say that patience is a virtue.  It is also, and more importantly, a grace.  It is, mostly, a mystery.  A friend recently remarked how we are always told that everything happens “in God’s time,” but that this provides very little comfort because we only know “our time.’ We look at our lives, and we look around the world, and we see so much that is wrong.  So much that fosters hurt, pain, sadness, fear, illness, discord, etc.  We look at our lives and at salvation history and we know that God always comes through.  Somehow, God always has the last word.  Yet, it is perplexing that it doesn’t happen as quickly as we want it to.

 

In today’s second reading we get a deeper understanding of the holiness of waiting.  The very act of waiting is sacred.  The very exercise of patience loving.  This reading makes me think back even further when my dad often told me: don’t hang onto anger; don’t seek revenge; don’t worry about getting even; don’t worry about what you don’t have. Be patient. Everything in life evens out.  That’s God’s way.

 

That’s God’s way.

 

Help me be patient Lord.

 

“Call Me Ishmae