In this meditation Sr Teresa White fcJ considers the poignant signature tune of this time of year – waiting in hope. First appeared in The Tablet in 2022; reproduced here with permission
“For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits; truly my hope is in you.”[1]
Advent calls for a certain contemplative ‘inactivity’ in the midst of the hustle and bustle that so often precedes the celebration of Christmas: it invites us to rest and be thankful as we come before God in wordless prayer. It is in quiet moments, in the absence of noise and clamour, that we become aware of the mystery of God’s presence among us.
When we enter this quiet zone, we can reflect on the coming of the Word of God, not just in history, but in the world of today. As we wait for that coming this Christmas, we will surely see that “the kindness and love of God”[2] are still being revealed: amid the sadness, turmoil and confusion that surround us on every front, there is a light shining in the darkness.
The Gospels offer many mini-portraits of people who recognised the need for quiet if God’s word is to be heard,
The Gospels offer many mini-portraits of people who recognised the need for quiet if God’s word is to be heard: John the Baptist, living a hidden life in the desert; Simeon and Anna, who never left the temple, spending their days in fasting and prayer; Nathanael, taking ‘time out’ under a fig tree; the woman of Samaria, isolated by her immoral reputation, drawing water in her bucket at the well of Sychar. (In the Eastern Church, this woman has a name, Photina, which means ‘the enlightened one’. Her whole life was transformed by her conversation with Jesus in that quiet place, where no one else was present.)
Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, is the one who sat silently at Jesus’ feet, and he commended her for doing so. While Martha, worrying and fretting about many things, was ‘distracted with all the serving’ (Luke 10: 40), Mary simply listened to Jesus. She was content to give him her full attention, even though there were many tasks she could have shared with her sister. Jesus said she had ‘chosen the better part.’
But, above all, it is Mary, the mother of Jesus, who most fully embodies the Advent spirit of quiet listening. Little in the eyes of the world of her time, unknown, unimportant, she is ‘the faithful one, whose mind is steadfast’ (Isaiah 26: 3). Attuned to God’s silence, her inner gaze is fixed on God as she humbly waits for the Lord. Mary’s faith, her openness to God, lead her to the prayer of acceptance of what God is asking of her.
Mary was one of those people the Jews called ‘the Quiet in the Land’, the Anawim, who lived a life of unceasing prayer and serene watchfulness. They had no dramatic expectations of a Messiah who would come in power and glory; instead, in humility and faith, they waited quietly for the day when God would comfort his people. And they were among the few who recognised and welcomed God’s Son when he came.
If, like Mary, we have the courage to be quiet in God’s presence, we will hear an echo of the Advent message: the Lord is very near!
If, like Mary, we have the courage to be quiet in God’s presence, we will hear an echo of the Advent message: the Lord is very near!
[1] Refrain of an Advent song by Marty Haugen.
[2] Titus 3: 4
Sr Teresa White fcJ is former teacher and has spent many years in the ministry of spirituality at Katherine House FCJ, a retreat centre in Salford. Read other contributions by Teresa on this website.
Photo: Romolo Tavani, Adobe Stock
