Not Yet Time

For me, the joy of the third Sunday of Advent started a week early. Last weekend, Greg and I spent the weekend with my family on Long Island, my sisters and brother, my niece and her five-year-old, Tommy. Tommy is in kindergarten at Holy Family in our hometown of Hicksville. He’s very proud of his school and parish and was eager to take us to Mass with him on Sunday. Over the weekend, he had been singing an Advent prayer he learned at school. Imagine these words to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: “Advent is a time to wait; not yet time to celebrate.” When we got to Holy Family on Sunday, I noticed the Nativity set up near the main entrance. Tommy and I went over to take a look and I asked why he thought Jesus wasn’t in the manger yet. Expecting him to break into, “Advent is a time to wait; not yet time to celebrate…” I was surprised when he got all distressed and blurted out, “They must still be working on it!” He was clearly miffed, thinking someone had forgotten the baby Jesus.

I wish I could see Tommy’s joy when the baby Jesus appears on Christmas. He really got me thinking about the challenge of this Advent time of waiting. This Sunday we rejoice because Christmas is only a little more than a week away. Our hearts, like John the Baptist’s disciples in this Sunday’s Gospel, are filled with expectation. But what is that joy and expectation really all about? It’s hard not to take sneak peeks at all that awaits us in the days ahead.

During the past few days at St. Joseph’s, it has felt like Christmas on steroids! On Wednesday evening our Learning Center was filled with toys and blankets and toys and warm kid’s clothing as Mary’s Place Refugee Outreach volunteers came together to pack 250 refugee children’s Christmas gift bags. Wow! What an effort! What an amazing amount of love, compassion and generosity.

The very next morning, the support of St. Joe’s parishioners for our new ministry, Penfield HOPE, came to fruition in our initial distribution of Christmas gifts, food, and gift cards to our Penfield HOPE families. Our office was filled with HOPE volunteers, people coming to pick up, and our weekly volunteers from CDS Monarch. Again, wow! There are no words for the joyful energy that filled the Pastoral Offices. This Friday those gifts are being distributed at Mary’s Place, with some of our parishioners helping organize the Christmas chaos.

This Sunday, another group will come together at the Gifts of the Magi tree at the main entrance of Church and will caravan off to St. Francis Xavier Cabrini with multiple carloads of toys and clothing for children living in the most impoverished parts of Rochester.

So, for me, the joy started a week early and has continued all week long as generous, compassionate souls have shared the spirit of Christmas with others. And yet, Advent is a time to wait, not yet time to celebrate. Let us wait. Let us anticipate with joy the celebration of the coming of Christ that is to come.