TOGETHER, WE WAIT

By Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY

A Midweek Spiritual Workout with Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin
 
TOGETHER, WE WAIT


Advent is a time of waiting. But not all kinds of waiting are alike. In Advent, we wait in a unique way.

WE ANTICIPATE. We wait expectantly for the Christ Child to come again, but we do not know the form that the appearance will take. We wait with anticipation that it will be something wonderful and maybe surprising. Will it be a gift in prayer? An encounter with family or friends where we know Christ is present among us? Will it be a sense of peace and calm? Only God knows what gifts He has in store for us.

WE LET GO. We have to make room for God’s action to be something that we can welcome, something that we can pay attention to when it happens.  There was no room at the inn for Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, because it was too full. The stable was poor and simple, but it had space for them to take shelter. Are our hearts open to God? What are the superficial concerns or worries we need to let go of to make room for Jesus to come again this Christmas? Are our lives too rushed and busy with holiday preparations, or are we building in time to make space for the Christ Child? How can we declutter our hearts to make room for the Divine invasion?

WE HOPE. Jesus has already come into the world. We have the experience of our entire Church community, which has encountered the living Christ before us, to give us hope. We also have our own individual experiences of God's presence. God’s light and love always shine through whatever kinds of darkness that we might encounter: illness, grief, injustice, worries about work or relationships, spiritual aridity or darkness. So, we wait with hope. We wait with one another. We are not alone.

On this SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, together, let us wait with anticipation, with yearning, and with hope. The birth of Christ, our Lord, Redeemer, Savior…it’s worth the wait.

 

 

 

Fr. Marino H. Msigala, OFM Capuchin was born in Kibakwe, Mpwapwa, Dodama Tanzania, Africa, on January 23, 1978. He was ordained to the Ministerial Priesthood on July 12, 2012, by Archbishop Gervas John M. Nyaisonga. Following his service as Pastor in his home country of Tanzania, Father was commissioned to the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Augustine in Pittsburgh, PA, where he was assigned studies and pastoral duty at Immaculate Conception Church in Dudley, PA. After he completed his Master's Degree at Villanova University, Father was reassigned to serve as chaplain and pastoral care at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. He completed his ministry there and returned to Tanzania on May 7, 2024.

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