Wait

5/9/2013 

A Meditation for the Ascension

Acts 1: 1 - 11 

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”
When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

  

He charged, ordered, them to wait. “Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel. By waiting and by calm you shall be saved. In quiet and in trust your strength lies. Yet the Lord is waiting to show you favor, and he rises to pity you; for the lord is a God of justices: blessed are all who wait for him!” (Isaiah 30: 15, 18). I don’t know about you but if you’ve ever seen anybody tell a bunch of New Yorkers to wait they rarely respond in kind with a “thank you for this opportunity.” In fact, four letter expletives are rather the norm. Why do we fear waiting? Why are we annoyed with a yes but not now? He charged them to wait for the promise of the Father, for the baptism by the Holy Spirit. It’s not like God said, “hey, stick around! It’s gonna be average.” No, He makes promises of goodness and blessing. Today we recall that not only did Christ rise from the grave but He also ascended to the Father and remains there for all ages. He sits at His right hand and all resides under His dominion. His plans are good. His timing is great.

Most often what we are immediately seeking pales compared to what we ultimately long for. Most often we want to run straight out of the transition of longing for what we want into obtaining what we desire. But what if we are running ourselves straight out of the grace and formation that is necessary for us to more fully embrace what God wants to give us. What if this time of waiting is in fact a gift we are denying ourselves? Heck, Jesus had thirty-three years before going public with His ministry. It’s hard to say that time was fore naught. What are you waiting on? What are you missing in the here and now, in the light of eternity?

Have you ever found yourself begging the Lord and then when He grants your hearts desires you all of a sudden have a litany of reasons why now isn’t the best time to be bold and leap in faith? If we are not careful we can wind up on a see saw of waiting, volleying from one extreme to another. Momentarily begging for God to give clarity only to then plead for the clouds of confusion to cover the way we know we are called to walk.

The peace is found in the present. It is in fact a gift. St. Francis de Sales advises: “do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow; the same Everlasting Father who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow and everyday. Either He will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at Peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” Peace be with you.

Let us make haste to let Him make us Holy. Just as the flower doesn’t grow overnight nor does the child at the embryonic stage talk and walk so too must we wait. In fact there’s a lot of waiting in life – in line for coffee, traffic, the restroom (especially if you are a woman), the subway, medical test results, future plans. Let us recognize these little moments as opportunities to grow in virtue so that we may become more attentive and ready to accept the longer periods of waiting, the opportunities for grace. Most of all let us see this waiting as a gift of preparation as well as a gift unto itself. “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

Like the apostles, let us gather in the Upper Room to wait on His Spirit and like our Blessed Mother let us ponder all these things in our heart. Let us trust when we are called to act His Spirit is with us, always.

To wait a finite time for an infinite love makes all else pale. Let us surrender our longing with thanksgiving as it draws us forth to the Font of Life. Mary, model of patience, be our guide. Help us to “do whatever He tells us to.”   Let us remember to listen to His call, as Pier Giorgio did, through the good and holy desires He has given us. “I left my heart on the mountain peaks and I hope to retrieve it this summer when I climb Mt. Blanc. If my studies permitted, I would spend whole days on the mountains admiring in that pure atmosphere the magnificence of God.”

Verso l’alto,

Kathryn Grace

  

**** Novena to the Holy SPIRIT to prepare for Pentecost *****

Let us join the apostles in prayer!

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/seven.htm

Let us find His will in the here and now trusting we are where we need to be and if/when He calls us to change or move, He will pour out His courage and grace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tpc7jxvThig