November 8, The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
For the optical relief of those who see me and the need to display a modicum of dignity and personal pride, I recently had my hair cut at Great Clips in Hyde Park. I can only guess people saying, “When is Brother Paul ever going to get his hair cut?” True, I put it off too long this time. I know the best days and times of the week to visit this location and I was in and out pretty fast. I walked through the doors and within a minute and a half I was in the chair cared for by a young woman stylist named Brie. I was cut, done, and out of Great Clips in no more than fifteen minutes.
As I drove back to the Rectory, I marveled at how fast this haircut took. It could be summed up in the phrase “in the blink of an eye.” If my Dad was alive, he would respond, “No muss, no fuss.”
Oh how we wish our lives could be defined as “no muss, no fuss.” It would all be so simple and carefree. But as we are well aware, this is seldom the case. Our days can be so messy and infused with muss and fuss. But, as most of us would admit, slowness and waiting can be times of growth and learning. The unexpected twists and turns leading off the express lane can teach us a great deal.
In three weeks, we will enter into a new liturgical year with the Season of Advent. It is a time of waiting; a special time of waiting for Jesus to come to us personally in new ways. The Fairest Love Family Project offers some good thoughts about waiting. Waiting can be very special when we understand that God is preparing good things for us in His own time. We do not see the full picture in our waiting time, but trust in God’s care for us. Let there be no doubt that God has a plan for us in what is to come. God’s timing is perfect timing. We keep this in mind when God’s timing may not be aligned with our own timing and expectation. And again, in this waiting, there can be so many unexpected learnings waiting for us.
The Fairest Love Family Project offers the following activities to assist us in our patient waiting, be it during the Advent season or throughout the year. They suggest: 1) Creating a daily prayer and reflection time, 2) Practice patience with others and 3) Journal your reflections as you patiently wait for what is on your mind.
In closing, listen to the words of Pierre Teihard de Chardin, S.J.: “Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are, quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay…. And yet, it is the law of all progress that is made by passing through some stage of instability—and that it may take a very long time. Give the Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you…”