This is the first Sunday of Advent. I can't believe that Advent is here already. Where does the time go? Advent is a really special time of year. Even the sky is different. There is nothing quite like an Advent sky. The silence, the darkness and the anticipation. The anticipation of waiting and listening.
I can't help but think about my post called Black Friday and how so many people on the food pantry lines, soup kitchens and shelters will experience so many Black Fridays and not the material kind either. They wait in lines, they wait......
On the flip side, the retail industry is also waiting. Waiting for the results of Black Friday and will wait for the results of Cyber Monday online shopping. This will probably be a indicator of how things will fare for holiday shopping.
I went to the Mall on Saturday after mass. I usually like to go at holiday time especially later in the evening to enjoy the sights and to be in the hustle and bustle of things. This time it was different. I found a parking space right in the front of Macy's. (Usually , I have to go around a couple of times to find one) There were people in the store but not quite as profoundly busy. Lots of sales clerks ready to help were standing around waiting. I observed that people were very careful on what they were spending. I was in one store when I overheard a husband/wife commenting on how much one garment cost and the wife said 'that's it were only spending $45.00' The sales clerk told me that Black Friday was really busy but today it was really slow.
I thought about this on my way home. Everyone is waiting. Waiting for food in the soup kitchens and food pantry lines. Sales Clerks waiting for a sale, the retailers waiting for a dollar amount and the country waiting for some relief. As Christians we wait too! We wait for the one who will give us hope to dispel our fears and anxieties. We wait for the light to lead us out of the darkness. We wait and we attentively listen to what speaks to our hearts. Despite the financial downturn and belt-tightening we wait in hope and in trust that things will get better.
This Advent let's prepare ourselves in waiting for who is to come.
