How to Wait with Blessed Hope
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. (Lk 12:32-48)
When I combine the message in all of the readings for the liturgy, one phrase comes to mind:“As we wait in blessed hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.” (GIRM)
It is the phrase we hear every time we come to Mass. After the Lord’s Prayer, the presider says, “As we wait in the blessed hope for the coming of our savior Jesus Christ.”
There are two key words in this phrase. Wait and hope.
Waiting is one of life’s unavoidable realities. We wait in small ways every day — in lines, in traffic, in conversations. Most people dislike waiting.
When I work with the homeless, I help them get their ID and their Social Security card. They’re not the best at keeping documents. I spend a lot of time waiting at the DMV and the Social Security office. I’m waiting for the blessed hope that my number will soon be called!
But that’s ordinary waiting.
There is a deeper form of waiting that marks our identity as Christians. Waiting with blessed hope. Waiting for healing, waiting for peace, waiting for a loved one to come home, waiting for reconciliation, waiting for justice, waiting for belonging. In other words, we’re waiting for the fulfillment of our prayer, “thy kingdom come.” We’re waiting for God to restore and redeem this world to its original beauty and glory. We’re waiting for the blessed hope of the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
How can we transform our ordinary waiting into waiting in blessed hope? The scriptures today give us several examples.
We can wait like the ancient Israelites. The first reading talks about the Passover (see Wis 18:6-9) Imagine being one of those Hebrews eating that roasted lamb that night, with loins girded, ready to finally escape from slavery to freedom, from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh to the promised land. They were waiting with that blessed hope that God’s promises would be fulfilled.
We have our Pharaohs oppressing us, things that keep us enslaved. An addiction, a sickness, a heavy-handed boss, an impossible situation. We can wait like the ancient Israelites for the blessed hope that one day God will deliver on his promises and set us free.
We can wait like Abraham and Sarah. (see Heb 11:1-19) God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars of the sky. They waited in faith and blessed hope that this promise would be fulfilled, even though they were well past childbearing years. They waited with a “faith, that is the assurance of things hoped for.” God delivered on his promise, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Abraham is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. They were waiting for that blessed hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.
We can wait like Abraham and Sarah in faith that God promised, and God will deliver. We can wait in faith and obedience. Even though it feels like God is leading us to a foreign land, even though it is taking forever, God will make good on his promises.
We can wait like the servants in the parable Jesus told. (Lk 12:32-48) They are waiting for the Master to return from the wedding. They are waiting, but ready for action. Jesus said, “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit… Blessed are those servants whom the master finds alert when he comes.”
We, too, are waiting for the return of our Master to return from the wedding feast of the lamb. Upon his return, the dead shall rise, and all creation shall be redeemed. We will become stewards of this new heaven and new earth and give glory to God.
This type of waiting is not sitting back and waiting for our number to be called. This is an active waiting, building of this new kingdom of God, anyway we can. Jesus said, “Build up treasure in heaven”. In other words, build up the kingdom with acts of love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, and faithfulness.
Waiting in the blessed hope is an active waiting, an active participation in building up the kingdom of God. We wait by living our lives as if the wedding feast of the Lamb has already begun
The gospel also shows how not to wait. The other servants said, “My master is delayed in coming,” and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk.
The psalm beautifully connects waiting and hope, and gives another image of waiting.
Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us who have put our hope in you. (Ps 33)
As we transform our ordinary waiting to waiting with blessed hope of the coming of the kingdom, we can also take courage from the tender words of Jesus: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Lk 12:32)
May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place our hope in you.
