Be Patient

Last week, after their meeting, the priests from the deanery of Canterbury and Thanet went for a Christmas meal. Reading the words of St James — Be patient — in the second reading for this Sunday, I reflect that ‘be patient’ was an apt description of our experience that afternoon. The group sat down for about an hour before the starters appeared. When the food eventually did arrive it was good.

Advent is a time of waiting. There are different kinds of waiting. St James gives us the great image of the farmer who knows he has to be patient, for the early rains of late October and early November to allow the germination of the seed, and for the late rains of April and May to allow the seed to mature. Then the soil will produce the good harvest.

These days we are not keen on waiting for things to happen. We want things to happen now, at once, or at least before the end of the day. Many good things take time to develop and mature. This is definitely true of human relationships. Friendships and love take time to mature and grow. God is very patient with us. In love He has created us and brought us into being. I love that phrase in St James’ letter, Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Let God more deeply into your heart.

As we reach the third week of Advent, we wait for the coming of Christ into our hearts by the way we relate to one another. The advice of St James is, Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. In these latter days of Advent let us initiate reconciliation within our families and seek to extent gestures of friendship and hospitality.

This coming Wednesday, at 7pm, there is our Advent Reconciliation service. Let us ready ourselves for the coming of Christ and experience healing. The words from Isaiah are apt: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.