Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
An angel of the Lord appears to Manoah’s wife and promises that she will conceive and bear a son. Throughout the Scriptures, the Lord visits the lowly and humble. God comes in the small and ordinary circumstances when we call upon Him with great faith. Greatness isn’t measured in popularity and worldly esteem but in matters of faith.
What if we pray and God doesn’t answer our prayer? Such times of confusion are a time for trusting that the Lord is either providing for our need in another way (not in the way we explicitly had in mind), or He is calling forth from us a greater desire and strengthening it through a test of our patience.
When I was discerning monastic life in the fall of my senior year of college, I expected an answer by Christmas. It didn’t come. I kept praying, but I was growing anxious because of the lack of clarity. It wasn’t until three months later that I had the peace and confidence to apply to monastic life. Three months is a relatively short period of time, but for me, it felt like an eternity! I now look back on that experience and remind myself in other instances: Be patient, God has been faithful and will be faithful!
Our part is always to approach with loving, peaceful confidence in the Lord.
Reflection by Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB
Posted in Articles for Advent, Daily Reflections