24 December 2017
Fourth Sunday in Advent
King David is very excited about the prospect of building God a suitable dwelling place. Even the prophet Nathan hears the idea and initially gives his blessing. But then God comes to Nathan in a dream and says to wait. Wait a little while longer. Wait for the Lord to build His dwelling, and it will be greater than anything you can imagine. Your desires are good, but if you wait, the Lord will not only fulfill them, but surpass them.
In a scene from the children’s book The Little Prince, the fox and the Prince speak to one another, and the fox asks the Prince to tame him. It will take patience for the Prince to tame the fox, and the fox says that the best way is to come to the field at the same time every day. The fox tells the Prince that if he comes “at four o’clock in the afternoon, then at three o’clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances.” By four, the fox will be overjoyed and jumping with excitement. The waiting helps to tame the fox, helps him to form a bond with the Prince. The waiting prepares his heart for the Prince.
Today is an odd day for us, liturgically. It is the fourth Sunday of Advent, but by nightfall it will be Christmas Eve. In the morning, we hear the Gospel tell us how Mary patiently waited for God to fulfill His plan through her. In the evening, we will hear the plan come to fruition. David waited, Mary waited, God arrived. We have a few hours left of Advent, so perhaps we can keep waiting for that time. The fox tells the Prince that “one must observe the proper rites” in order to truly appreciate what one is waiting for. If we keep on waiting just a little bit more, like the fox our hearts will be on fire for the One we wait for, and like David our waiting will be rewarded more than we can even imagine.