Advent, 3rd Sunday (A) A look around the world tells us that God is both a brilliant engineer and a creative artist. Then we look at ourselves and often see a mess. Did God screw up when he made me? I am unique and that means there is a special place in the universe that only I can fill.

If I fill a spot, then why do I feel empty? We are like kolaches without filling, we are "batteries not included." Only a relationship with God will fulfill us. So why do we keep God at a distance? We might think that I'm not good enough for God. Or we might think that God couldn't possibly be safe or satisfying.

Antigo Area Catholic Churches was featured in America Media's People of God documentary. We don't really want to give God 100%. And consequently, we don't ever really experience the transformative power of the Gospel. We try and fill ourselves but only feel more empty. We need to wait patiently until God comes to meet us and fill us with his love and joy.

Our second reading talks about the farmer being patient between the "early rains" and the "late rains." It gets dry between the rains and we can be tempted to do something to fill the emptiness. Instead, we need to remain patient and trusting. Wait for the Lord to come and fill you with the warmth of his love.

(11 Dec 2022)

Going Deeper: When have I experienced the emptiness that only God can fill? How have I tried to fill it myself? What does it feel like to wait for God to come and fill me?

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