Each week of this year’s Advent season, we will be sharing a reflection from one of our dedicated staff members. We hope that their words inspire a deeper sense of hope and wonder as we prepare for the coming of Christ.
Waiting With Joyful Hope
When I read Scripture, I am always amazed by the periods of waiting. In the book of Genesis, Abraham had to wait 25 years from the time he heard God speak, stating he would have a son, to the time that the promise was brought to fruition with Isaac. In the book of Samuel, Hannah wept bitterly at her inability to conceive prior to the Lord blessing her with Samuel. David was anointed as King three times before he ascended to the throne of Israel. There were 63 generations from Adam to Christ, and a total of fourteen generations passed between the Babylonian Exile and Christ’s coming. Over and over, God’s people were called to wait.
With all waiting, there is something expected–something longed for that has not yet been fulfilled. With this condition of waiting, there is often a period of inward groaning. We are aware of what lacks and need to see it brought to fulfillment.
In this season of Advent, we are called to wait with joyful anticipation for the coming of our Lord in the form of a small child. The waiting is uncomfortable. It requires us to trust and to have both faith and hope. And yet, on Christmas morning, we are reminded that our God is so good and keeps his promises. Throughout the Old Testament, God promised His people a Messiah again and again, and finally on Christmas morning, our Savior was born to us.
The Lord is Good and Keeps His Promises
For all our members, thank you for enduring this season of waiting with us. We know it has been a difficult season for many of you as it has been for many of our staff. We believe as a people of Christ that we are called to the mission of Solidarity, and therefore, we are called to not give up on hope. We will restore and rebuild an authentic Catholic culture. The Lord is good and keeps His promises.
As a community of people, we ask you to keep vigil, and to please pray and fast with us as we await the coming of Our Lord. Know we have tremendous hope and reason to trust that good things are coming and happening.
For now, we must wait, so that we may echo the words of our Mother:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
– Luke 1: 46-55
Blessings to you this Advent season!
– Katie Eberwein, Member Care Lead