What do you expect from life? What do you desire from it? What do you really
expect from God, and what are your desires as a consequence of your faith? If you believe in Christ Jesus, how are your expectations different, your desires changed, from those of one who has no such belief? Is your faith a truly expectant one? If not...why not?
Advent marks the
beginning of the Church Year; it is also a good time to renew our expectations
and desire. A materialistic or secular person often expects little from life,
but desires much in the short space allotted to it. Built into this
attitude—exemplified by consumerism—is a deep frustration that begs to be
relieved by self-medication and ecstatic behaviors.
The believer expects
eternal life with God and lives in ever-greater accord with God’s
will—exemplified by Jesus Christ and the Gospel way of life—desiring what leads
to the experience of that communion with God in the now, as well as at the end of life. Such an attitude is based on a present
joy, a deep mindfulness, and a searching love.
Each Advent we look
beyond the reach of human vision into the promises of God made known in Holy
Scripture. Those promises give us courage to live even now what we know from
experience only partially. Faith is fed on these promises. We need to dwell in
them, like a thirsty pilgrim on a summer’s day. For that, in truth, is what we
are.
Here are some words from
“the Angelic Doctor” about this season in the Church’s year and our faith…
* * *
The
first point about eternal life is that man is united with God. For God himself
is the reward and end of all our labors: I
am your protector and your supreme reward. This union consists in seeing
perfectly: At present we see through a
glass, darkly; but then we shall see face to face.
Next
it consists in perfect praise, according to the words of the prophet: Joy and happiness will be found in it,
thanksgiving and words of praise.
It
also consists in the complete satisfaction of desire, for there the blessed
will be given more than they wanted or hoped for. The reason is that in this
life no one can fulfill his longing, nor can any creature satisfy man’s desire.
Only God satisfies, he infinitely exceeds all other pleasures. That is why man
can rest in nothing but God. As Augustine says: You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart can find no rest
until it rests in you.
Since
in their heavenly home the saints will possess God completely, obviously their
longing will be satisfied, and their glory will be even greater. That is why
the Lord says: Enter into the joy of your
Lord. Augustine adds: The fullness of
joy will not enter into those who rejoice, but those who rejoice will enter
into joy. I shall be satisfied when your glory is seen, and again: He who
satisfies your desire with good things.
Whatever
is delightful is there in superabundance. If delights are sought, there is
supreme and most perfect delight. It is said of God, the supreme good: Boundless delights are in your right hand.
Again,
eternal life consists of the joyous community of all the blessed, a community
of supreme delight, since everyone will share all that is good with all the
blessed. Everyone will love everyone else as himself, and therefore will
rejoice in another’s good as in his own. So it follows that the happiness and
joy of each grows in proportion to the joy of all.
(St. Thomas
Aquinas, from “Collation on the Creed”)
