The gift of anticipation

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Jane Bosworth

As Mary and Elizabeth await the births of their children, their hearts and minds are filled with anticipation. Anyone who has waited for a major event, like the birth of a child, can certainly relate to Mary and Elizabeth.

Anticipation brings many emotions - two of the strongest for me are fear and joy. Although these emotions seem to have little in common, they are both emotions through which God reveals Himself and I am drawn closer to Him. This closeness to the Lord is one of the gifts inherent in anticipation.

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Dec. 21, 2003) Mic 5:1-4a Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 Heb 10:5-10 Lk 1:39-45

When I was anticipating the birth of my child, fear was an emotion I often felt. I was so thankful to be pregnant and I was fearful that something would happen to jeopardize the pregnancy. I was also fearful about my abilities to raise a child and about any complications that could affect the baby.

Originally, Mary was filled with some fear also. In Luke 1: 29, we read that Mary was "greatly troubled" when she heard the angel Gabriel say, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you."

Whenever these fears escalated in me, God revealed Himself to me and calmed these fears through Scripture, hymns and words at Mass, and words from others.

In Scripture, immediately after we read about Mary's "troubled" thoughts, the angel says, "Do not be afraid" (Luke 1:30) and Jesus frequently says, "Be not afraid," throughout the Gospels.

At Mass, I sang and heard the words of the songs like "You are Mine" - "Do not be afraid, I am with you." I also heard the priest say, ". . . protect us from all needless anxiety . . ." when we prayed the "Our Father." These events made me realize that no matter what happens, God is with me and I can survive anything, if I turn to God.

The other strong emotion I felt during my pregnancy was joy. I felt joy each time I experienced the baby moving and growing inside me. I was joyful whenever someone said kind words to me about how wonderful parenthood is or when I thought about the opportunity I was given to teach my child about God.

Elizabeth and Mary felt joy, too. Elizabeth tells Mary that the child in her womb "leaped for joy" (Luke 1:44) and Mary replies, "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47).

	Reflection questions • What events do you anticipate in your life? • What emotions do you feel in the anticipation of those events? How can those emotions bring you closer to God? • How does God reveal Himself to you through those emotions?

I cannot help but feel joy when I thank God. Anticipation gives us the time to rejoice in the fact that we are given wonderful opportunities by God.

My son, Samuel, was born this fall. Although I thought my emotions would change because the anticipation of his birth was over, I find that the gift of anticipation continues as I now think about his future.

I fear that he won't be healthy and happy or that he or I won't make the right decisions for his life. I am joyful that I get to spend my time with him, love him, care for him, and teach him about God. I continue to grow closer to God through these emotions as I anticipate what is to come.

Jane Bosworth is a speech pathologist. She lives in Campbellsport with her husband, Jon, and their newborn son, Sam.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

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