I just can't wait

Homily for the First Sunday of Advent
Given at St. Patrick's Church
By: Rev. Fr. Ronnie P. Floyd

“I can't wait until Friday.”
“I can't wait until summer.”
“I can't wait until Christmas.”
“I can't wait until graduation, until I'm older, until I'm married,”
I can't wait, I can't wait!

Its amazing how often you hear this little phrase or its equivalent, everyday!

Personally I like most Americans used to hate waiting: Waiting in traffic, for public transportation, for weekends, waiting for the next phase of my life to begin.

We do not live in a culture that values waiting, rather we live in a hurry up world where waiting seems to cause stress and anxiety. And as a result, we have found ways to avoid it:
We can take pills to grow stronger or to lose wait faster.
We can shop online to avoid waiting in line.
We overwork to get to where we want to be in life faster

Or we just pretend that what we are waiting for is already here. The other day I was walking in Boston,
going to my 10 year HS reunion and as I walked through downtown crossing tt looked like it was December 25th not November 25th.. And we wonder why our kids are in such a hurry to grow upand make adult mistakes while they are still in middle school?

We live in a “can't wait” culture that is always looking forward to the future and looking forward to the future is a good thing, after all it is the basis of the Christian virtue of of hope. However, while hope looks forward to the future, the other two theological virtues Love and Faith point to the past and present, to the now, to testify to God's goodness giving us a basis for our hope not just in the future when, God willing, we get to heaven, but right now, at this moment in history!

The problem with a “can't wait” culture, with always looking toward the future. is that we miss the present and rushing toward the future for so much of our life we often fail to ever stop pushing forward long enough to enjoy the things we once hope for, but which have now been displaced by new “I can't waits.”

A perfect example of this is Christmas, how many of us, if we continue along our “can't wait” path
will be sick of Christmas by the 26th of December?

For the Christian the now is essential, because God gives us each moment, as a little gift, a piece of the puzzle of life, that we will need to be happy forever in the future joy of heaven. Waiting, is not wasted time for the Christian but an opportunity to reflect on what we are, why we are doing the things we do, and where we are going in life. The Church gives us the season of Advent to contemplate the reason for the Season to consider where the joy of Christmas truly comes from,and to prepare ourselves to receive it.

When we live our life moving from one “can't wait” to another, we are like athletes who don't take time to stretch, let alone practice in between games, sure we play a lot of games but we win few because we are just not prepared!

Ultimately, Advent is a time to remember that we can offer ourselves to others just as God offered himself to us when He humbled Himself to be born, the child of Mary, in a stable.

This advent I challenge you to hold off on the presents hold off on the parties, hold off on the Christmas carols and cards, and take some time to remember that the three kings gave gifts as an expression of their joy at the birth of Christ - an expression, not the cause!!


There is no record of Jesus giving Mary Magdalene silver earrings for Christmas; instead he gave her respect. He didn't buy Peter a new fishing boat; rather he gave him responsibility. He didn't go to the mall to buy the apostles new PS3s he humbled himself and washed their feet.

Jesus' gift to mankind wasn't based on material wealth, because Jesus knew, what we so often forget, that stuff is ok, but stuff never makes up for the absence of love, fellowship, and communion. This is what makes us happy, joyful, and fulfilled

If we really look at the needs of others, we may see that while they may want presents, perhaps what they really need is simply to be acknowledged. They deserve dignity, respect, and love for which gold, silver, and precious gems, are cheap replacements.

The paradox of the American Christmas season is that we bypass Advent because we can't wait for the joy of Christmas and then we focus on toys, jewelry, and electronics hoping that these things will bring us the joy we so desire, while in fact they distract us for that joy. Just look at the exchange lines at the malls the day after Christmas. So much for bringing us joy!!! We want to enjoy the material stuff that makes Christmas the cultural extravaganza that it is. In doing so, we lose sight of why Christmas is so important.

Advent is the time to stop and remind us what makes Christmas so important. Advent provides an opportunity for us to direct our intentions, so that our relationships with God and others can be renewed by our celebration of the birth of Christ. So don't rush into Christmas. Enjoy the season of Advent. Take advantage of this time of waiting to ask yourself what will really make my family and friends more happy this Christmas?