Often, asking the question "when" was like asking the question of "what" when looking at Christmas presents wrapped underneath the Christmas Tree. You want to know, the anticipation and the surprise and even the waiting for something you know is yours, or at least it is going to be given to you, it can really get to you. The Advent Season as well as the Christmas tradition of presents capture so much of what the Gospel is truly about. The Gospel is about waiting, it is about patience, and it is about a hope, the hope of something to come.

   Hear the Good News, though we do not know what the future holds for us specifically, we truly know, as Christians, that the future is filled with awe and wonder. For the young mother who hopes for a child, for the child who hopes for fun, for the patient hoping for wellness, they may not know what exactly is to come, but they do know that God is there, in their midst, a virtual wrapping for The Present of Life and Love. It is God's presence that surrounds us with hope and faith of things to come. When it will happen is a mystery, but when the "when" is experienced, it is such a release of excitement and anticipation that it can bring tears to the eyes, rob us of our breath and present such a smile on our face and in our eyes that it becomes a permanent fixture upon our heart. Maybe it was a hint of this "when" that allowed Jesus to promise the thief by his side paradise, or possibly the experience of this present, this time that came at the time of Jesus' last breath. Who knows. I guess it is not really for me to dwell upon, but rather to anticipate, just as we all anticipate Christmas and Christ again.