Airport Awakening

Among the many themes of Advent are longing and patient waiting for a deeper relationship with Christ. My Advent began early. Two incidents occurred, within a month of each other. Both involved patience and waiting at the airport; a ten hour and six-hour delay. Both meant the scheduled evening meetings had to be cancelled. Both occurred at a Chicago airport while trying to connect to flights that offer few connecting ones to my final destination. In both instances I missed the connection only by a matter of minutes – but not for lack of trying! Airport congestion, not weather was the common theme causing delays.

Deep breathing has become my friend. Putting things in perspective becomes even a better friend. Repeating to myself, “In the light of eternity will waiting an extra ten hours matter at all?“ Of course not.

In truthfulness, I did not take the opportunity to consider all the types of waiting one does in life while I was sitting in the airport. I mostly fretted.  Since then, though, I have been considering this event in light of the Advent theme concerning the varieties of waiting that occur in a person’s life.

 There is the anticipatory joy filled waiting: a birth of a new baby, celebrating Christmas with family and friends, an approaching graduation, a wedding. Then there are difficult sometimes anguished waiting: families praying and waiting for sons and daughters in the military, some of whom are serving in dangerous areas, to return home; waiting at the bedside of a dying family member; refugees and immigrants waiting to cross into lands that offer hope and promise; or the out-of-work person waiting for a call back saying she is hired; or the distress of waiting for the results of a biopsy. 

All of these and so many more are real moments of waiting. As we await the Promised One, let us put aside anxiety and long together for the Spirit of God that lives among us today.

Even long delays have potential to awaken. A ten-hour wait in the airport can strengthen empathy and connection with others. Due to my human frailty, however, in the future I will plan to find connecting flights through another airport!

Sr. Aileen Bankemper, OSB