Worth Revisiting: The Wit & Wisdom of Waiting

Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

This Advent, I begin again by asking myself a seemingly simple question.. What am I truly waiting for? And while expectantly awaiting the answer, there are, of course, a myriad of other questions that the very posing of this question precipitates.

Where am I seeking God today and what is it that which fuels my desire in life?

Am I doing all that is needed to prepare my heart and the place for that which I desire?

So, there is, I believe, an active component to waiting, filled with hope and promise. As well as, the invitation to respond by encountering the present moment-giving our fullest attention to our God who meets us in the midst of our everyday lives.

In the words of the saints and perhaps soon to be saints..

1. Advent is a time of waiting, of expectation, of silence. Waiting for our Lord to be born. A pregnant woman is so happy, so content. She lives in such a garment of silence, and it is as though she were listening to hear the stir of life within her. One always hears that stirring compared to the rustling of a bird in the hand. But the intentness which which one awaits such stirring is like nothing so much as a blanket of silence. – Dorothy Day

2. Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.
– St. Thomas Aquinas

3. Waiting is essential to the spiritual life. But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting. It is a waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for… Waiting for God is an active, alert — yes, joyful — waiting. -Fr. Henri Nouwen

4. Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in You.” – St. Augustine of Hippo

5. If we really want prayer, we’ll have to give it time. We must slow down to a human tempo and we’ll begin to have time to listen. And as soon as we listen to what’s going on, things will begin to take shape by themselves….The best way to pray is: Stop. Let prayer pray within you, whether you know it or not.” –Thomas Merton

6. If you want God to hear your prayers, hear the voice of the poor. If you wish God to anticipate your wants, provide those of the needy without waiting for them to ask you. Especially anticipate the needs of those who are ashamed to beg. To make them ask for alms is to make them buy it. – St. Thomas of Villanova

—–God waiting for us-

7. When you approach the tabernacle remember that he has been waiting for you for twenty centuries.” – St. Josemaria Escriva

8. He loves, He hopes, He waits. If He came down on our altars on certain days only, some sinner, on being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not finding Him, might have to wait. Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep him waiting one instant. -St. Julian Peter Eymard

9. No one is more patient than God our Father, that no one is more understanding and willing to wait. He always invites us to take a step forward, but does not demand a full response if we are not yet ready. He simply asks that we sincerely look at our life and present ourselves honestly before him, and that we be willing to continue to grow, asking from him what we ourselves cannot as yet achieve.” -Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis

10. The devil may try to use the hurts of life, and sometimes our own mistakes to make you feel it is impossible that Jesus really loves you, is really cleaving to you. This is a danger for all of us, and so sad, because it is completely the opposite of what Jesus is really wanting, waiting to tell you…he loves you always, even when you don’t feel worthy.

-St. Teresa of Calcutta

Peace,