Saturday of the First Week of Advent 

Most of my suitemates are agnostic, and as the resident Catholic, I am often asked questions
concerning my faith. Although this experience can be daunting, I am always happy to share
what I know and get back to them on questions that require further research. One of my favorite
questions to elaborate on is about my relationship with God and who He is. “He will be gracious

to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you.”(Isaiah 30:19) God’s arms are always open to us. His love is unconditional and when we are ready to call to Him, He will answer.

By no means am I saying that making this call is easy. Our devotion to academia can sometimes lead us to subscribe to individualism–believing that we alone can achieve our
academic and personal goals. Subscription to this ideology creates distance between us and God, inflating our egos and making recognizing our limitations more difficult. However, coming to terms with the reality that we cannot do it all on our own is not as scary as it seems. We don’t have to do it alone. “..but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “this is the way; walk in it.” Opening our hearts, being vulnerable with God, and leaning on him during challenging times does not make us weaker, instead it allows us to act with greater purpose and see with greater clarity. Call to God during your times of stress (I promise He can hear you from a Bass library cubicle), during moments of success, and moments of failure.

During this cold, dark, and brutish winter we must keep each other warm and stay patient.
“Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.” This waiting period described in Psalm 147 is a call to
action. We must not wait inactive in our faith, distracted or bored, ultimately watching Christmas
approach. Our waiting must consist of reflection, of service, of giving, and of spiritual
preparation. “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” In a similar vein, I urge you to be a
beacon of God’s light, call to Him, and wait patiently during this advent.