Patient Waiting


(Fr. deLadurantaye is director of the Office of Sacred Liturgy, secretary for diocesan religious education, a professor of theology at Notre Dame Graduate School and in residence at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Va. This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)



As the Church begins a new liturgical year, the season of Advent appears before us as a time of patient waiting, of preparation, of that wakefulness which Jesus speaks of in this Sunday’s Gospel. The Advent season has a twofold character: it looks forward to the moment of Christ’s return at the end of time, and it looks backward to His first historical coming among us at Christmas. Lest we jump too quickly to Christmas, though, the early weeks of Advent counsel us to be patient and to be attentive to the Lord’s return.

This is the point of the story Jesus tells in this week’s Gospel. Even though we do “know when the time will come,” namely Dec. 25, our knowledge of the historical occurrence of the Incarnation in no way dispenses us from the kind of watchfulness and vigilance Jesus insists on today. As we profess in the Creed, the Lord “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” And this moment we do not know when that will be. So what meaning should this Advent season hold for us? What should we be watchful about?



First of all, we should be attentive to the presence of the Lord, praying in His company, willing even to suffer with Him. We might make a special effort in these weeks of Advent to attend Mass more than just on Saturday night or Sunday. Families might take a moment to pray together, as the candles of the Advent wreath at home are lit. We might be more conscious in patiently offering our disappointments, frustrations or sufferings to the Lord this season, knowing that the grace of His coming strengthens us to bear our crosses in union with Him.

We should also be vigilant and on guard against all personal laxity, laziness, sinfulness and apathy in our spiritual lives. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to begin, if we are not doing so already, the practice of a daily examination of conscience so that we can remain awake to the imperfections and faults that are apt to creep into our lives if we let them. Advent is also a time to resolve to make the practice of the sacrament of penance a regular, habitual part of our spiritual lives so that we will not be unprepared for the Master’s return. We might consider, too, how we could best help others in need through some material or financial sacrifice this season.

To be on guard, and to be watchful, means that we are not to surrender to disorderly pleasures or to anxiety for the things of this world. Such things can render us insensitive to a life of faith and transcendent goals. Excessive preoccupation with our lives in this world can make us forget that we are on a pilgrimage whose end lies beyond the confines of time and space.

In these days of Advent, as we meditate with patience upon Our Lord's coming — once within our history and again at the end of the world — we are offered this season of grace to reflect on our lives, our actions and our attitudes. Do they conform to what the Lord expects of us as His disciples? Do we need to clear away those sins and faults which hinder God's grace from flourishing in us? If the Lord came today, would we be ready and prepared to greet Him with joyful hearts? If we judge ourselves daily, then the second coming of Christ and the moment of final judgment will not be a catastrophe but rather the fulfillment of all our hopes and desires: the beginning of a never-ending Christmas of happiness, life and joy.

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