Vogel: Wait for the Lord ...
“Be watchful! Be alert! ...”
Jesus’ words are unsettling, a warning of things to come but we are not told what it is that is coming.
Is it danger? What fate will befall us? Or is it a fleeting opportunity that will be missed lest we be vigilant? How will we know it when it arrives?
Questions. It is the Holy Spirit Who brings the answers and trust in God’s mercy and kindness that brings us patience.
We walk in darkness, but Jesus is the Light that came into the world. We trust in Him and wait patiently, alert for the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel gives us an example of patience with Simeon, who had listened to the Holy Spirit and believed that he would see the Messiah in the flesh.
We are not told how Simeon came to know this, only that it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.
From his words at seeing the Infant Jesus, we know that he wished to die in peace, and his wish is granted when again, the Holy Spirit opens his eyes to the truth that Jesus is the Messiah.
He had waited patiently and was rewarded.
Mary, too, had waited with patience. God created her with such a special mission; devout and obedient, her heart must have yearned to do His will.
She was to be His bride, and His love showered upon her and filled her being.
Her yearning was rewarded when the angel Gabriel spoke the words, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord came to her in the most real and intimate manner — conceived in her womb.
From Isaiah and through John the Baptist came the warning, “Make straight the way of the Lord.” Jesus’ own words — “Be watchful! Be alert!” — herald us to wait patiently for the Lord.
God showers His love on us also, and we receive Him in an intimate manner through the Eucharist.
Let us in this Advent season open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and pray that as we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Infant Jesus, we will recognize the presence of that Spirit for which we watch and wait so patiently.
Mr. Vogel is a member of Cathedral of St. Joseph parish in Jefferson City.
