People in the West have become used to instant gratification, but the Christian life demands patience and fortitude. In the first of her seasonal reflections, Margaret Atkins looks at this time of waiting and how we can best prepare for it
THE OLD TESTAMENT abounds in images of desire for God: “As a deer longs for flowing streams”; “my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water”; “my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning”; “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace”. Nowadays, in the comfort zone of middle-class Europe, we struggle to imagine such intensity. We turn on the tap, we put on the kettle, we send our children to school with bottles
27 November 2014, The Tablet
Advent meditation – The essence of waiting
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