On Waiting and the New Year

I got a new planner for 2017.  This is not really big news because I get a new planner every year.  But this year’s planner is called The Sacred Ordinary Days Planner.  You can learn about it here.  The planner follows the Liturgical year.

I received my planner just as Advent—the beginning of the Liturgical year, began.  This planner has truly introduced me to the pattern of the Church’s calendar and what “Ordinary Time” means.

For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to focus this Advent on waiting.  What a longing there must have been within the Jewish people as they waited for the Messiah.  Day after day, month after month, year after year—waiting.  I imagine some days filled with hope and some days filled with pain.

The Jewish people survived on a promise.  The promise was detailed in their sacred texts and they meditated and talked about the promise.  And waited.  I’ve only waited four weeks in symbolic ritual to demonstrate the waiting the Jewish people did for such a long, long time.  It is difficult to imagine the wait through such pains and persecution but the people remained faithful to the promise and to their God.

Can you imagine how difficult their days had to be?  Think of the loyalty one demonstrates in the face of ridicule and discrimination, day in and day out.  Yet, the Jewish people went home at night and gave thanks to their God and spoke with hope of a time to come.

As I write this, I think of young black men who live in fear of a traffic stop.  I think of Syrian families torn up and apart by war, living in a refugee camp or, if they are lucky, they moved to America or Germany, or the United Kingdom—but facing anger and sentiments of an unwelcome nature.

I think of gay men and women who simply want to live their life, maybe even worship God, but are condemned by the very brothers and sisters who should be breaking bread with them and showing love.

Yet, the young Black men, the Syrian, and the homosexual wait.  Every day.  Some days are filled with hope.  And some days are filled with pain.

Through this lens we don’t seem to have come so far.

As Advent draws to a close and we ready our hearts to welcome anew, the Messiah, let us reflect on this little Jewish baby that grew into a Rabbi with a mission of love.  The religious leaders of his day asked him about the greatest commandment and his response was to love the Lord our God with all we have in us, and to love others as ourselves.

Let 2017 be a year of love and may our Messiah warm our hearts to demonstrate his love as he would.

Love for 2017!