December 8, 2024 - Second Sunday of Advent
What is good about waiting?
When I was a kid, my dad would sometimes need to travel to the other courts in Iowa to hear cases as a District Court Judge. We enjoyed the times he was gone for two reasons, First, Dad was a “meat and potatoes” man and we didn’t get much variety at dinner. Mom learned to make potatoes in almost every conceivable way to bring some variety to the table. Second, dad would always bring home some gift for us from the places he visited. That was what we anxiously waited for! Because my Dad we very clever and would always surprise us with something that brought new wonder into the sometimes-mundane life of I kid.
That said – wonder is worth the wait!
What IS “wonder”?
Good question!
Wonder is the discovery of something new, something hoped for or something amazing!
The amazing, new and hoped for gift of ADVENT is the birth of God in human flesh. The promise of eternal life. The hope and promised fulfillment of personal peace and joy for an eternity. There no store, shop or bazaar where these gifts can be acquired! They are the gift of God given freely and lovingly by a creator that gives them with as much glee as any present ever received on Christmas day!
That kind of gift is not self-evident. It needs time to realize, understand and contemplate the WONDER of an eternal gift. God wraps this gift in swaddling clothes and lays it in a manger.
The way we prepare now will determine how much wonder this gift will bring to you on December 25th. It is a deep and penetrating feeling that I always experienced at Midnight Mass.
May Our Risen Savior Bless you!
Fr. Patrick Nelson, SDS
