The Waiting Place

Homily for school children for the Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

I really don't like waiting, do you? I don't like it, but it seems like I do so much of it. What are some examples of where you have to wait?........

Dr. Seuss talks about waiting. Who likes Dr. Seuss?....One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books is called “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” and it’s about all the places that you can go to – but there are some dangers, too! In the story he talks about what happens when you might get confused and then end up in a place called “The Waiting Place”. He describes it as a useless place where people are just waiting.

[From “Oh, the Places You’ll Go”]:

“The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

            Waiting for a train to do

            or a bus to come, or a plane to go

            or the mail to come, or the rain to go

            or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

            or waiting around for a Yes or No

            or waiting for their hair to grow.

            Everyone is just waiting.

            Waiting for the fish to bite

            or waiting for wind to fly a kite

            or waiting around for Friday night

            or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

            or a pot to boil, or a Better Break

            or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

            or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

            Everyone is just waiting.

We all have to spend some time in this "waiting place" that Dr. Seuss talks about, but I don't think it has to be a useless place. While we are waiting we can make good use of our time. What can we do? Well, we could read a good book or call a friend on the phone. We could make a list of things we need to do today or, we could even study for a Math test. Well, maybe that's going a bit too far, but there are many things we can do besides just waiting.

And that’s the lesson of Advent. Advent means "to come." Do you know what's coming? Of course, Christmas is coming. This is an exciting time, but it may also be a difficult time of waiting -- waiting for the day when you can open the gifts that you see under the tree. What can we do to make this time of waiting for Christmas more than just a useless time in the waiting place? Well, we can think about the true meaning of Christmas. We can think about Jesus and his love. We can think about giving instead of receiving. We can enjoy all of the beautiful music and the decorations of the season like the Advent wreath or setting up the Nativity in our homes. When we do those things, we will find joy in the waiting place.

We can also do what Jesus did in the Gospel. You heard that Jesus helped people by curing their illnesses and feeding them when they were hungry. We can also make use of our time while we are waiting by helping the people around us like Jesus did. We can be kind to them, we can do good things for people who have less than we do, and we can always pray for everyone who is hurting or sad.

We are waiting for Christmas, but what should we do while we are waiting? We should worship and praise God, love and serve God, and share God’s love with others. When we are doing those things, we will be ready for Christmas, and more importantly, we’ll be ready for Jesus to come into our hearts. Then we will really find joy in the waiting place.