Holy Patience
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Reflection By The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston
And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? … And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
- Luke 1:43,45
When you suddenly recognize that your life is about to change, do you ever find yourself saying what Elizabeth says: “And why is this happening to me …?”
If so, you are not alone. “Why me?” Most people have asked that question at some point in their lives. We ask it when we are surprised by what we take to be good fortune. We ask it when we are confronted by our own fragility. We ask it when we receive a gift or when we face an illness. In many ways, “why me?” is the Advent question.
Advent is the season of questions because it is the season of expectations. What will happen? When will it happen? And perhaps most of all, why are we a part of it?
Deep change presents us with the graphic reminder that we are not in control of life. Things happen that we can neither predict nor prevent. This change may be joyful or heartbreaking, yet either way, we adapt to the situation. We celebrate or we learn to cope. Like Elizabeth and Mary, we are players on the stage of human life without a script, improvising our lines as we go. These two women recognize that they are about to give birth to a change they can only dimly understand. As St. Paul says, they see their part in God’s great story “as through a glass but darkly.” Mary’s vision of what is to come is a description, not a definition. Her task is not to write the script, but to be faithful in playing her part as it comes to her. She does that by accepting the ambiguity of change, accepting the fact she may not have an answer to “why me?” but never wavering in her trust in God. She is patient in believing all will be well.
Patience is trust lived. When we are uncertain as to why we have either been blessed or challenged, we come to that place where we can only wait upon the Lord. Whether life brings us moments to rejoice like a baby dancing in the womb, or presents us with challenges we need to adapt to with all of our coping skills, we trust that we are never alone on the stage. We are confident that God is with us. So confident, we can abide in holy patience. Time itself becomes our expression of faith. We know that even if we do not fully understand the unfolding play of which we are a part, we will. In the meantime, like Elizabeth and Mary, we trust in God, with a trust that is as patient with God, as God is patient with us.
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Follow along with us this Advent season with our daily devotional and engage in discussion in our closed facebook group moderated by Robbin Brent, Carolyn Karl, Jan Kwiatowski, and Scott Stoner.
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