Monday in the Fourth Week of Advent

“O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.” One last time we join the universal church in crying out to the Lord that he come to us in our hour of need. The Lord promises to be with us, yet he often seems far away. The expectant mother can feel her child moving within her, but even she must wait for the child to be born. With her, we await the fulfillment of the promise. I am reminded of a comment from Saint Bernard. “Rest is in Him alone. Man knows no peace in the world, but he has no disturbance when he is with God” (On Loving God).  

I can’t speak for you. But, patience is not one of my virtues. Waiting is not one of my favorite pastimes. Experience has shown that there is only one savior of the world and no substitute (CF. Jn. 6:68). So, along with Mary, we have to wait for the child to be born. An interesting thought, not only does the mother have to wait. Her son, the Master of the Universe and Savior of the World, also had to wait. He chose to be born in the fullness of time. He chose to be born as a helpless infant to demonstrate the depth of his love for humanity. He chose to come into the world as a baby so we would love him. May we come to resemble what we await.