What are we waiting for?

Waiting is a period of learning. The longer we wait the more we hear about him for whom we are waiting. As Advent progresses, we hear more and more about the beauty and splendor of the One who is to come.

But Advent does not lead to nervous tension stemming from expectation of something spectacular about to happen. On the contrary, it leads to a growing inner stillness and joy allowing me to realize that he for whom I am waiting has already arrived and speaks to me in the silence of my heart.

Just as a mother feels the child grow in her and is not surprised on the day of the birth but joyfully receives the one she learned to know during her waiting, so Jesus can be born in my life slowly and steadily and be received as the one I learned to know while waiting.

-- Henri J.M. Nouwen

The Genesee Diary