Ever since I was an altar boy at St. Teresa's in Pittsburgh, PA, year in and year out countless preachers have come to this liturgical season, climbed into pulpits, and repeated something like this: "My dear friends in Christ, Advent is a season of waiting, a waiting for the miracle of Christ's birth."  O.K. this I can and do believe. But from my own experience of life, I also believe that Americans HATE TO WAIT...for anything, especially miracles!

Hey we're Americans after all. We've been born, bred and brought up in a culture that says: "You can have it now, 24/7! Bad credit, hey...no problem! No credit, hey...no problem! No waiting...ever!"  So, when I also hear it said by some preachers, that God answers prayers three ways: "yes", "no", and "wait"; well then I know that, in at least some cases, there are going to be some very "antsy campers"!

Since "waiting" is a fact of our liturgical season of Advent, and "waiting" is certainly a fact for all of us in our experience of prayer; then the question is...how do we wait? What is the quality of our "waiting'? Is it filled with fear; the "what ifs"? Is it riddled with doubt, the "maybes"? Is it weighed down with depression, the "blahs" and the "blues"? Simply, what are we feeding our heads, faith or fear? This is a necessary question to ask ourselves if we are going to really live "lives that matter", and not "just matter of fact" faith lives. And this is a good question for Advent in our cooperation with God's grace that definitely does not want our souls "to tank". (And I know that you take your spiritual life seriously because you have read this far!)  But, in light of that question about faith or fear; I guess that I have a little confession to make, and maybe even some repentance to begin. I have this nasty little habit of lying in bed listening to the morning news for a half hour after my alarm goes off.  I am not so sure that this is such a good idea any more. Why? Well, because from the very first moments of my day, my little mind is peppered with the latest catastrophes and far flung acts of terrorism, bulletins of companies "hitting the skids", and politicians behaving badly. ("Hey, Frank is this any helpful way to begin your day? I mean after all, you are going to need all the strength you can, just to look in the mirror kiddo!")  So, as I lie in bed in the morning, waiting to stumble towards the toothbrush, perhaps the health of my soul, and the questions of my heart, would be better served by ditching the half hour of morning of "sturm und drang" and beginning my day by softly reciting a decade of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Mary had the right idea. She faced the uncertainties of her life and the things that she couldn't solve, by a quiet waiting in hope, not anxiety; by a quiet waiting with a confidence in divine love and providence. That is something that I need too. Maybe tomorrow I can do the same. Pray for me. I will pray for you. 

- Fr. Frank