“I AM SURE THAT GOD keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for him to wait.”
These words from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity offer helpful insight as we enter the season of Advent and approach the close of the Jubilee Year of Hope.
Our human nature resists waiting. We crave immediacy, and in a world where so many desires, however fleeting, can be satisfied instantly, waiting feels like a waste of time. We judge our self-worth and that of others with how useful one is, filling time with constant activity, events and productivity. So when unscheduled moments of time appear in our day, such as standing in line, waiting for a meeting to start, or even for someone to return from the restroom, the common temptation arises: reach for the phone. Scroll through feeds, check messages, reply to emails, anything but sit quietly for a moment without external distraction.
Why do we resist waiting? Perhaps because waiting exposes our fears. We fear emptiness and silence that amplifies our interior disposition. We fear not being in control and that if we are not constantly connected, we will miss out. These fears drive us to fill every pause with digital noise and distraction, leaving little space for us to notice what God’s doing in our lives and hearts.
Advent calls us to something radically different. It invites us to trust that God is active in the waiting. Caryll Houselander, in The Reed of God, writes that Advent is “the season of the seed…the secret of the growth of Christ, of Divine Love growing in silence.” Waiting is not empty; it is full of promise. Like a seed hidden in the earth, grace at work even when unseen. The Jubilee Year theme, Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5), reminds us that hope is not wishful thinking but confident trust in God’s fidelity. To wait in hope is to believe that God is Love, God is here among us, and His action is the only way we ultimately desire.
To wait in hope means to stretch out desires beyond what is immediate and hope for greater things: that the presence of Jesus is deepened in our lives during Advent so we can pray with the Church, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
So how do we reclaim waiting in hope this Advent? Here are some practical steps:
■ Try a Digital Detox: Choose intentional moments to put away your phone, during prayer, meals or while waiting in line. Delete apps for the season and discern at the end of the period if you really need to reinstall it.
■ Read a Book: Replace screen time with spiritual reading. Caryll Houselander’s The Reed of God is a beautiful spiritual guide for Advent. Catholic publishing companies also have mediation guides for Advent.
■ Serve Someone: Use the time you might spend online to write a letter, make a call or volunteer. Personal presence has a higher value than any digital footprint one can leave behind.
■ Practice Silence: Begin or end your day with five to ten minutes of contemplative silence. Don’t listen to music or podcasts. Instead, listen to God. Invite Him to speak or simply be still with Him. When we raise our eyes to the Lord and away from our digital technology we will encounter the Lord’s gaze of love and mercy that can be found nowhere else.
■ Create an Advent Space: Set up a small prayer corner with an Advent wreath or nativity scene. When tempted to reach for your phone, go there instead and light a candle, whisper a prayer. Advent is not about doing more; it is about being more—more attentive, more receptive, more present. In a world that fears waiting, let us dare to embrace it. For in the waiting, Christ comes—and with Him, hope that renews all things.