Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. (James 5:7-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121122.cfm
Patience is a virtue hard won. As kids we used to say that something was “as slow as Christmas.” Advent reminds us that the Lord is near: the Judge is standing before the gates. And so this Gaudete Sunday the church, with Saint Paul, invites us: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Advent Sunday III
