On Saturday December 18, we were happy to welcome for the first time Father Nadim Helou, pastor of Saint George Maronite Church in Uniontown, PA, as our retreat director. The theme for the day was "The Spirituality of Waiting". Based on the scripture passage from the Gospel of Mathew 1: 1-25, Father Nadim described how, in the Old Testament, people and prophets of all generations were in a state of waiting. Then he compared their waiting spirit with that of Mary. Waiting is not wishing, Father Nadim explained. A fulfilled wish is not satiating and almost always leads to a series of other wishes. Likewise, wishing could end in bitter disappointment if the object of desire is not obtained. Waiting, in contrast, is a state of infinite hope characterized by being open to possibilities and is not attached to an object or a specific end. Mary was distinguished by this genre of waiting. Her virginity was a distinct mark of her uniqueness, a symbol of her complete offering of self to God and her total surrender to his plan. Mary and Joseph both gave God an opportunity to accomplish his will in them and fulfill his promise of salvation. They both believed in God's Master plan in which they played only a supporting role, allowing the plan of God to be fulfilled. As consecrated people and in imitation of Mary and Joseph, Father Nadim concluded, we are called to place ourselves in a similar state of awaiting the coming of our Savior. Our waiting must not be static or passive. On the contrary, it must be a state in which we are completely aware of God's presence, are placing our trust in his wisdom and are fully prepared for his second coming.
