Brad Rozairo, OMI
Waiting is part of life, and it is always for something or someone. Have you ever considered the act of waiting within your daily life? Where in your life lies your Advent—that period of waiting? For instance, waiting for someone important, waiting for your child to return home after school, waiting for a husband returning from a long-distance posting, looking forward to a long journey to meet relatives – all these are your personal Advent.
With any kind of waiting, the time can feel incredibly long, or it can seem to pass in the blink of an eye. For instance, employees who wait impatiently for payday, while the sick wait anxiously for diagnosis results, and families wait while praying for the crisis threatening a loved one’s life to pass. Pleasant times like dates between lovers may feel long before meeting, yet pass swiftly once together. How any “waiting” is experienced depends entirely on the person waiting, and surely that very feeling is what matters most.
Waiting is not easy, especially in our need. Thirty years ago, when I came to Japan, the Oblates had a rule that every new arrival would take a home vacation after three years in the mission. Three years sounded too long for me. Therefore, having studied Japanese for two years, I approached the Provincial with a request to take a break before I begin ministry in Japan. Permission was not granted, and I was forced to put the rule into practice! Waiting is a challenge that often leads to impatience. But Advent immerses us into the reality of waiting while reminding us that there is something better to come at the end.
We just began the spiritual preparation for Christmas, and the Scriptures teach us the importance of “watching and praying”. What does it mean to be watchful? According to Pope Francis, it means being attentive without distraction. That is to say, “so that our hearts do not grow dull” and our spiritual life does not become lukewarm. It is worthwhile to ask ourselves: What dulls our spirit? What paralyses our way of life? What bad habits weigh us down, preventing us from lifting our heads?
Let us treasure this season of Advent, as we await Christmas and reflect anew upon our hearts and our faith in God. Amidst our busy lives, perhaps our faith as Catholics is in danger of falling dormant. If we are unaware of what has been entrusted to us, our hearts become captivated by fleeting desires and our eyes drawn to superficial things. Such a state means we are asleep in faith, even with our eyes open. Therefore, the phrase “stay awake” (Mt.24:42) seems to urge us to awaken our faith. May this Advent season help renew our hearts and our faith in God.
