Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

We are familiar with waiting - waiting in line, waiting in traffic, waiting to see a doctor, waiting in an airport. Waiting is often coupled with frustration, irritation, anxiety, maybe even feelings of anger or despair.

In our scripture readings today, waiting has a different character. This waiting is joyful - waiting filled with hope. And this is not alien to us. We may not immediately identify with virgins waiting for a bridegroom (Matt 25:1-13), but we recognize, and may even remember in ourselves, the excitement of young children waiting for their birthday or the arrival of Santa Claus.

The life of the children of God is full of waiting. As John pointed out in the letter we heard last week we don’t know what is to come. Our adult selves may see that as a problem to be solved, we demand to be in control, even the ultimate control of when we die. But the child has no illusion of being in control. Yes a child may wait in fear, but what is extraordinary is how often a child, even in the most desperate of circumstances, can wait in hope.

Our gospel today is about waiting in hope. But that doesn’t mean careless waiting. Hopeful waiting still requires preparation. And this hope is not an exercise in endurance. As Paul explains to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4:13-18), it is based on faith, a belief in resurrection, the knowledge that God is in control and the acceptance of the fact that we are not.

Sometimes that acceptance can also feel like a struggle. Maybe we identify with the prayer of the father hoping for healing of his son (suffering from what we would recognize as mental illness) - I believe Lord, help thou my unbelief (Mark 9:24). But we can also learn from the perspective of the wisdom tradition (Wis 6:12-16) - that insight into the feminine character of our God, a God who takes delight in playing with us, who is not far away, oblivious to our hope. This God reaches out, “hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire”. Wisdom comes to us, the bridegroom is coming. Hope and faith are paired with patience and preparation. And Paul tells us: “we shall always be with the Lord”, now and forever.