Waiting

   Refuse no one the good on which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it

   for him. Say not to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give,”

   when you can give at once. (Book of Proverbs 3:27-28.)

In today’s liturgy, we are advised not to make someone wait for a certain good that we can give them immediately. Waiting can be procrastination. When it is a loving act that we are delaying, it could even be sinful. We might hesitate because of inconvenience, we might be lazy, or we could simply be selfish. Waiting can be caused by fear. We might fear we won’t be successful in our endeavor, so we won’t even try. Our imagination may get in the way as we conjure up ideas about possible problems or risks. Meanwhile, the needy neighbor is waiting as we wait.

There are good examples of how to cope with waiting when waiting is not our choice. For example, we can take time to pray to our Heavenly Father for answers, strength, or solutions in a challenging illness or other critical situation. We can pray for the Holy Spirit’s gifts of wisdom, patience, and understanding. We have to try to remember that our loving Lord has his own perfect timeline for each of us.

In just three months and two days, we will celebrate Christmas Day. Try to imagine our Blessed Virgin Mary waiting to give birth to the Son of God. Mary, a young single girl, was full of grace and open to fulfilling God’s will. Perhaps Mary’s three-month visit to her older, pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was a joyful, helpful way to show her love and generosity as the two women waited to give birth. It would not be a stretch of our imaginations to picture them praying and praising God together.

As we wait for the end-of-the-year holidays of Halloween, All Saints Day, Thanksgiving, and—best of all—Christmas, with all the busyness and timely preparations, let us stay focused on grateful prayer and the sharing of love and blessings with others. Let us pray with some Psalms:

   Wait for the Lord with courage;

       be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)

   Our soul waits for the Lord,

       who is our help and our shield,

   For in him our hearts rejoice;

       in his holy name we trust.

   May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us

       who have put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22)

   I have waited, waited for the Lord,

       and stooped toward me and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)

   I trust in the Lord;

       my soul trusts in his word.

   My soul waits for the Lord

       more than sentinels wait for dawn. (Psalm 130:5-6)

   🙏

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

The passages from the Book of Proverbs and the psalms are taken from the New American Bible, Oxford University Press, New York, 1990.

Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.