"Yet the Lord is waiting to show you His favor, and He rises to pity you: for the Lord is a God of Justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" (Isaiah 30:18)The wind is cooler now, the nights are longer and the sweet fragrance of Christmas is just about everywhere. Today is the first Sunday of Advent and we officially mark our Sacrament of Waiting, so to speak. Advent after all is our glorious preparation for the real Reason of the Season - and our primary task is to simply wait patiently for His coming.
However, waiting is such an unforgettable experience for all of us. Imagine the pains of our parents awaiting our birth. And endless game of guessing whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. Imagine their excitement as they await our little faces ... wondering whose feature we will inherit - will it be Mom's or Dad's Imagine their trauma as they wait for the first eruption of our baby teeth ... praying that there won't be a need to visit an orthodontist.
These are the joys and pains of our parents - it was their sacrament of waiting! But even as they grew older, the pressure of waiting did not lessen. It even became more intense as they witnessed the unexpected irony of our failing and passing, our rising and falling, our crying and smiling. These are the bitter joys of our families' sacrament of waiting!
And now, at whatever stage we are in, at whatever circumstance we are in, the reality of waiting will not escape us. It can make us squirm in anxiety as we grapple with the unknown, but it can also make us firm in certainty as we await the promise of Truth and the Joy it brings.
For our Sacrament of Waiting is here and now; it cultivates our innermost being, it emanates from the Supreme Being, and permeates our real being. Advent is like a lover awaiting the coming of a Beloved, for it is only in love that we can await the promise of a loved one. He is that Beloved - we are loved by Him and it is only by love that we can await the coming of our Messiah.
Advent is not about preparing lists for shopping; nor is it a time to prepare our decor - but rather a Divine Appointment - a time to prepare ourselves for His great coming - the Prince of Peace.
He offers the most precious gift - priceless and immeasurable - HIMSELF! His life for our life. His forgiveness for our repeated sins; His understanding for our repeated failures, and His patience for our repeated runaways.
If only people would learn to wait more patiently for their loved ones, then surely their waiting will change into loving.
Let us learn from Him, the humble of Heart - let us learn to wait with love this Advent Season. God Bless you all!
Fr. Vic Apacible
Parish Priest
NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART
Makati City, Philippines
However, waiting is such an unforgettable experience for all of us. Imagine the pains of our parents awaiting our birth. And endless game of guessing whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. Imagine their excitement as they await our little faces ... wondering whose feature we will inherit - will it be Mom's or Dad's Imagine their trauma as they wait for the first eruption of our baby teeth ... praying that there won't be a need to visit an orthodontist.
These are the joys and pains of our parents - it was their sacrament of waiting! But even as they grew older, the pressure of waiting did not lessen. It even became more intense as they witnessed the unexpected irony of our failing and passing, our rising and falling, our crying and smiling. These are the bitter joys of our families' sacrament of waiting!
And now, at whatever stage we are in, at whatever circumstance we are in, the reality of waiting will not escape us. It can make us squirm in anxiety as we grapple with the unknown, but it can also make us firm in certainty as we await the promise of Truth and the Joy it brings.
For our Sacrament of Waiting is here and now; it cultivates our innermost being, it emanates from the Supreme Being, and permeates our real being. Advent is like a lover awaiting the coming of a Beloved, for it is only in love that we can await the promise of a loved one. He is that Beloved - we are loved by Him and it is only by love that we can await the coming of our Messiah.
Advent is not about preparing lists for shopping; nor is it a time to prepare our decor - but rather a Divine Appointment - a time to prepare ourselves for His great coming - the Prince of Peace.
He offers the most precious gift - priceless and immeasurable - HIMSELF! His life for our life. His forgiveness for our repeated sins; His understanding for our repeated failures, and His patience for our repeated runaways.
If only people would learn to wait more patiently for their loved ones, then surely their waiting will change into loving.
TO LOVE IS TO WAIT ENDLESSLY,
AND TO WAIT IS TO LOVE UNDOUBTEDLY.
AND TO WAIT IS TO LOVE UNDOUBTEDLY.
Let us learn from Him, the humble of Heart - let us learn to wait with love this Advent Season. God Bless you all!
Fr. Vic Apacible
Parish Priest
NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE SACRED HEART
Makati City, Philippines
