Day 6: Waiting
Editor’s Note: On the 6th day of our Advent blog series, “Following the Holy Family in Solidarity,” lay missioner Kim Wagner reflects on how God is with us during our various seasons of waiting.
As I sit at the front desk at Casa Papa Francisco, a shelter for immigrants in El Paso, Texas, and wait for a guest to arrive from the hospital, I reflect on the idea of waiting. Waiting has become a frequent theme for me in my short time in El Paso. My shifts at the shelter are mostly spent waiting – waiting to receive a message about how many guests the shelter will receive for the day, waiting for guests to arrive at the shelter, and waiting for transportation for the guests. Most of my time on shift at the shelter I spend waiting for things to take place or assisting guests in their own waits – waiting to hear back from their loved ones to make arrangements to join their sponsors or waiting to hear news on their legal cases.
On top of the normal waiting that takes place each day at the shelter, there is now an overarching theme of waiting in a political sense. As those of us in the United States wait for a new President to take office in January, many of us working with immigrants are holding our breath as we wait to see how the people we are accompanying will be affected by policies put in place or changed under the new Administration.
In reflecting on these waits I am experiencing, my mind draws me in to consider waiting in the context of Advent. I am reminded of the people who lived and died before Jesus’ birth and spent their lives awaiting the fulfillment of a promise from God in the arrival of a Savior. What patience and fortitude these people must have had in living without the promise of salvation — but living only with the knowledge that God is ever present with them.
As we observe the season of Advent in waiting for Christmas, I am reminded that, just like the people waiting for Jesus’ arrival on Earth, God has not forgotten us in our waiting. He is ever present with each one of us throughout our struggles and triumphs. With each new guest arriving at the shelter and the changing political climate, I remember that he has not forgotten anyone and he is ever present in all of our waits.
Questions for Reflection: What are you waiting for during your current season of life? How has God been present to you while you wait?
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