When Fr. Dominic invited me to write a reflection for our Advent Blog answering the question: "What Are You Waiting For?" I thought, piece of cake. “What Am I Waiting For?” Everything. With endless line ups and wait times for everything from food to flu shots to an end to this pandemic - waiting is the new normal. But when Fr. Dominic asked me to answer this question in light of the Sunday readings on being attentive in our waiting, I thought GAMECHANGER. What Fr. Dominic was really inviting me into was an experience of active waiting. The challenge was on. Here is what I learned.

I am distracted. The second I find myself in a line up for anything, I take out my phone. With my head down and mask on, I see and notice nothing. But once I put my phone away, I started noticing the cold, the signs of Christmas, my impatience, and my racing mind with its endless to-do lists.  However, the more I looked up and out, the more I noticed.  Waiting in a rather long line, I was struck by the sea of anonymity and how the pandemic masks and distances speak to a deeper inner separation from each other, and yes, from God. This made me feel sad and lonely and so I decided to turn my wait times into prayer times. Each time I found myself waiting for something, I made a conscious effort to pray.  I prayed  for the safety of everyone in our lineup, I prayed for an end to the pandemic and for the sick and dying, I thanked God that I was able to buy the things I needed, and I thanked God for my health and my family. I started to smile and say hello to people in line. I started inviting God and others into my waiting.  

Too often, I don’t invite God into my waiting even during the very times I set aside for God,  I pray daily, but I don't always invite God into my prayer. Too often my thoughts scatter and I spend more time talking to myself, than listening for God. As I prayed with the question, “What Are You Waiting For”, it dawned on me that prayer is a time of active waiting.  In prayer, I wait on God.  I wait to encounter God in a personal, life-changing way.  Prayer is the most important kind of waiting.

This advent, my goal is to stay awake, curious, and to reconnect with God and others. As this week’s reading from the book of Isaiah reminded me,  "God works for those who wait on him." [Isaiah 64:4].  God has so much waiting for us this advent.  Let's not miss it.  

Continue the conversation.  Is there a word, thought, or image that spoke to you? What are you waiting for?