Waiting with Joyful Hope

“…As we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ...” These words are spoken at every Mass, but how often do we really think about them? The season of Advent calls us to slow down and become more aware of waiting: waiting for the Feast of the Incarnation, waiting for Christ to come again, waiting with ‘joyful hope.’ As Christians, we are called to be a people of joyful waiting. In spite of the great haste around us, we can wait because we have hope in God and in God’s promise. We have a taste of what is to come, and we await the chance to experience the fullness of God’s mystery. We await union with God, and our lives should reflect that longing.

Today, we ask God, “Direct this earthen vessel of your making toward only that which fulfills your purpose in, through, and with me.” We are on a journey, moving along some trajectory that we have already begun and have not yet completed. We cannot see where our travels end, but we know that God directs the whole of our lives. When we know this with our whole being, we humble ourselves before God with unconditional trust, unwavering hope. When we acknowledge with our lives that God is in control, the hope that helps unite us to God shines out, and we become a beacon of hope for others.

Many blessing in this season of Advent,
Kristen