Advent Daily Devotionals: Waiting in Faith: 20th Dec

WAITING IN FAITH 

20th December

Advent Daily Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Gospel, Luke 1:26-38

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said: Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above. But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.' He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too? The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

 [Psalm Of David]

To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live there; 

it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, on the flowing waters fixed it firm. 

Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? 

Who shall take a stand in his holy place? 

The clean of hands and pure of heart, whose heart is not set on vanities, who does not swear an oath in order to deceive. 

Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, saving justice from the God of his salvation. Such is the people that seeks him, that seeks your presence, God of Jacob.

Gospel, Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' 

She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.' 

Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.' 

Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.

Writer’s Reflection:

Whenever a reading mentions patience or trust, I get a little guilty kick in the heart. We all have our flaws, and both patience and trust are definitely two of my biggest. I hate to wait, I hate not knowing things, and I definitely am always just a little bit doubtful (especially of anything that seems too good to be true). I am always subconsciously preparing myself for disappointment, and I am very quick to assume the worst about myself or a situation I am in. (I’m really selling myself as a joy to be around right now, I know. Please all form an orderly line to hang out with little old me.)

So today’s readings, they’re the ‘check your heart’ moment that I am constantly in need of.

He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too? The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

-          Isaiah 7:13-14

I think we can all relate with this first reading (I know I can); with this struggle with waiting in complete faith, and instead trying to rush God, asking for signs (that let’s be honest, we are usually blind to anyway) and trying to bend God to our will. So often in prayer I will take God a situation, and instead of trusting Him to already be working in it, and willing my best, I will instead take him the problem, and also what I see as the solution. My prayer will often be something along the lines of “God, I hand you this situation, and ask for your will be done. Buuuuuuut, if your will could be [this] that would be great. Thanks.”

However, what this season of Advent (and this reading) teaches us is that God has already given us so many signs of His faithfulness – He has already proven Himself to us time and time again, and yet, we still can’t just be still, wait, and trust. We still can’t help but rush, and worry, and doubt.

The gospel today highlights this perfectly by showing us all up and reminding us of the perfect faith of Our Lady.

Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.

-          Luke 1:38

For us to truly understand the virtues of patience and trust, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of Mary. Mary, a young girl who just got engaged, is approached by an angel and told she's pregnant, but not just MTV 16 and Pregnant style pregnant, but pregnant with the Son of God. Yup, that's already super big. And then, after the angel dropped this bomb, they just left. Woah. 

Mary never fails to blow me away – she not only just accepts God’s will (which come on, is HUGE and life changing, and pretty unbelievable to begin with), but she then sits with it. Alone. For 9 months. She doesn’t try bargain with God, she doesn’t ask for proof or ask Him to do things her way, she simply trusts His message word, and then waits for it to come to be.

Now, imagine those 9 months. Imagine 9 months of waiting to see what was going happen next! Mary humbly said yes to God, and then endured 9 long months of watching her body change, of moving around the country, starting a life with her new husband, and all the while patiently carrying God in her womb.

So often we are rushing towards whatever goal or outcome we want, and Advent is such proof of that. Advent is so often seen as just a countdown to Christmas, with us seeing it as a time to crack open the Baileys and mince pies, rather than to be present in the season, and wait with joy and expectation. 

This Advent, look at the pregnant Mary, and take heart from her. We can always trust that no matter the circumstance, no matter our desires, God is working, and His will is perfect. Let us not ask for signs, let us not rush for our own ideal outcomes, let us not worry and doubt, but instead, let us enjoy the process, and wait with joyful expectation, knowing that whatever may be is God’s will, and it will always be for our good.

Writer's Bio: Megan James

Hi pals, my name is Meg and I’m a 23-year-old school chaplain from a small town in Wales, living in the Big Smoke (aka London). I am a lover of literature, a consumer of tea, hummus, and gin (pretty exclusively), and am excited by any and all doggos.

My faith has definitely been the most unexpected, sometimes painful, but continually beautiful journey that I could never have predicted nor planned. This past year especially, Jesus has really been showing me just how gentle He is with us and our fragile hearts. He has reminded me that He will never force nor corner us into a relationship with Him, but instead, no matter what, He will always be waiting patiently for us to bring our hearts to Him, and He will always run to meet us wherever we’re at when He sees us make even the tiniest move towards Him (just like in the Prodigal Son!) So be brave, be vulnerable, and always trust in his compassionate love.