During the four-week Advent season that begins the Church year we prepare for the coming of Jesus by remembering his birth (past), anticipating his coming in glory (future) and by celebrating his coming to us in word and sacrament (present). The Church has appointed scriptures for Advent that tell of God’s coming in Christ. The second and third Sundays focus on the coming of Christ today.
FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT- A TIME OF EXPECTATION
We are waiting. During this time before Christmas,
we pause in our managing of life and wait.
Our waiting is not idleness and boredom but
joyful expectation and excited anticipation of
what is to come.
This pre-Christmas time is creative in the deepest,
most wonderful and profound sense. During
Advent we are all like Mary! We wait for the
Christ Child. And Christ, too, waits. Christ
is waiting to be born within us, to have a
deeper relationship with us, to be with us always.
REFLECTION:
Why is waiting so difficult?
How do I imagine Mary waiting?
What am I waiting for in my life? How does this
affect what I do now?
What are my expectations of the Incarnation Season?
Is a closer relationship with God one of my expectations
of this season?