Silence - And Other Surprising Invitations of Advent (Emmaus Library Series)

by Enuma Okoro

We want to become a people who seek after God and who cultivate patience as we wait for divine justice to bring peace and freedom to an aching world.

life is often unfair; and even devout, obedient people harbor the tension of unanswered prayers and bear the weight of unmet desires.

The words we offer on behalf of one another testify to our belief that God has indeed created us as a body and as a priesthood of believers whose actions matter to God.

Sometimes when we find ourselves too burdened by the extent of our longings, too prayed out, or too exhausted with coming before God, we can look to others to bear our burdens prayerfully until we regain our own strength of spirit.

we can only intercede when we learn to trust others with our unique yearnings. Naming the ache of our yearnings is indeed faithful. It opens wide the gift of receiving and embracing the prayers of others.

We can never underestimate what God will do with our prayers.

we have grown accustomed to dwelling in the space of unanswered prayer.

Doubt is nothing of which to be ashamed or which causes God to turn from us.

we can practice attending to the rituals of our faith and trusting God to meet us as we do the things disciples are called to do: serving, praising, praying, and more.

We have allowed our culture’s obsession with romance and sex to dictate how we view life-giving relationships. We have dulled friendship’s ability to illuminate the corners of our lives.

If we envision our current period of waiting on God as a sort of wilderness, what might be the strengths and graces we could cultivate to prepare for the promised season? How can we embrace waiting as an invitation to live by faith and to grow in gratitude for God’s patience with us and God’s perfect timing?