Advent: The Season of Holy Waiting

The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120325.cfm

Advent invites us to wait—not passively, but with trust. As Fr. Tyler Mentzer reflects on Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” he reminds us that God’s provision is never merely sufficient; it is abundant, verdant, and overflowing. In a world where we’re tempted to grasp, control, or hurry, Advent teaches us to rest in the “fertile pastures” where the Good Shepherd gives us repose.

Fr. Tyler shows how the Lord’s generosity is revealed through Scripture: the prophecy of Isaiah, the miracles of Jesus, the multiplication of loaves, and the Eucharist—our “juicy, rich food” and “pure choice wine.” The Catechism teaches: “Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing” (CCC 2090). Advent hope means trusting that God’s timing is perfect, His providence lavish, and His guidance steady—even in the “dark valley.”

Like Jesus in the desert and on the Cross, we are invited to wait on the Father rather than take matters into our own hands. The fruit of this waiting is abundance, courage, resurrection life, and the promise that we “shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”