During Advent: Waiting with trust and patience

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Amber Robertson

During Advent we are called to prepare our hearts for the Lord's joyous coming. We often think this means being kind to our neighbor, giving to those less fortunate, or spending extra time with God in preparation for the birth of Christ.

I wonder if there isn't something more to preparation. How are we preparing our hearts? To be ready and present for the coming of the Lord we must TRUST in the Lord. We must also have PATIENCE as we hear in the second reading from James, "Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord."

As a first year graduate student I have often found myself overwhelmed by the possibilities in my future. I feel like a kid again as I scroll through them in my head: a professor, a lawyer, a mother, a business owner . . . the list continues with more ideas each day. I feel continually restless about my future.

Third Sunday in Advent (Dec. 12, 2004) Is 35:1-6a, 10 Ps 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 Jas 5:7-10 Mt 11:2-11

Patience and trust do not just happen; they take much time and work. I must trust and be patient with God in regards to my vocation and direction in life.

A wonderful prayer by Thomas Merton continues to provide me with perspective and patience:

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think that I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Merton's words state the desire of God for us. God understands that we will not always get it right, but that our desire to please God is pleasing. The prayer doesn't make all of my anxiety disappear, but I am reminded of how much God wants to guide me.

	Reflection questions • In what areas of your life are you impatient? • What concerns can you entrust to God?

For Advent this year perhaps we should reflect on the areas that are difficult to give up to God. In what ways can we be more patient with the workings of God in our lives?

With that in mind I pray that we may all take time this Advent to allow God to guide us. I pray that we will not fear the new or different; rather, that we would trust in the Lord. Amen.

Amber Robertson is a first year graduate student in the Plant Breeding and Genetics Program at UW-Madison. Originally from Montana, she volunteers at the front desk at St. Paul's and is one of the sacristans at the 11:15 a.m. Mass.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell The Advent theme of yearning for God is the cornerstone of the lives of Christian mystics. Is there an everyday mysticism marked by a personal relationship with Christ? The message of the Christian mystic is of a God of love who calls Christians into a union with God's very self, a union of love that transforms the human person. Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   I suppose people pray more happily when they have some sense that God is present -- not far off. So Advent ought to be a great season for prayer. Advent is all about moving day by day toward Christmas, the time of the incarnation. And what does the incarnation tell us if not that the Son of God is present -- here with us? Doesn't the incarnation mean that as persons we're taken pretty seriously by the divine? Our lives, our hopes are taken seriously. You might say that with the incarnation, things get personal! The incarnation affirms that we can speak with the Lord, relate to the Lord. full story   The Devout Christian of the Future Will Be a Mystic By Keith J. Egan Catholic News Service Not until the 17th century did Christians coin the word "mysticism." It was then used negatively in France to describe certain religious experiences. Moreover, mysticism currently is used loosely to speak of all kinds of experiences, religious and psychological, including New Age practices. One has to go back to early Christianity to discover the authentic meaning of the word "mystic" or "mystical." full story  Mysticism, New and Old By Father John W. Crossin, OSFS Catholic News Service Christ comes in varied ways. Some are unexpected. When I joined the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in 1965, I experienced six weeks of feeling close to Christ in prayer. This experience then gave way to normal prayer and eventually to some doubts of faith. But these initial weeks were a benchmark that I still occasionally look back on. full story  You, a Mystic?! By Carl E. Olson Catholic News Service I could never be a mystic. God gives mystical experiences and knowledge only to the greatest saints, such as John of the Cross or Teresa of Avila. Have you ever had such thoughts? I have! The great mystics of the Catholic faith can seem untouchable, men and women so close to God that we despair of being like them. Or we can conclude that mystics such as St. John and St. Teresa are relics of a different time -- that we live in a modern world now, free of mysticism. full story
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