Advent is all about the waiting, we already know. It is so well known, that even AI must know about it, I thought. Therefore, I asked one of AI models to write a paragraph on waiting as the meaning of Advent season. Here is what I got:
Advent is a season defined by waiting—a deliberate pause in the rhythm of life that invites Christians to lean into expectation. This waiting is not passive; it is a hopeful, active posture that looks toward the coming of Christ with trust and anticipation. In a world that prizes immediacy, Advent teaches the spiritual discipline of patience, reminding us that God’s promises unfold in His time, not ours. Waiting during Advent becomes a sacred space where longing is transformed into hope, and silence becomes fertile ground for faith to grow.
Pretty good, wouldn't you say? But allow now for some HI (human intelligence, that is, me) to interfere and suggest some questions for our reflection as we enter this season.
Do we know what it takes to transform our everyday (often so meaningless and futile) 'waiting' into 'expectation' as posture of anticipation?
Are we willing to rediscover the discipline of patience, even if no one can promise us how long it would take?
Can you visualise this year's Advent as a sacred space? A space into which only our sense of longing and silence are allowed – with possibility of seeing how hope and faith slowly grow out of that space?
Of course, the 'real life' around us will not wait these days – it will speed on as usual. It may feel as if it is passing us by. You may then want to take to heart the words of Stanley Hauerwas: 'Advent is patience; it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.’