Maria Huemmer, Public
Relations and Outreach Coordinator, Texas Catholic Conference
I don’t like to wait. I personally believe that God is working
extra hard to give me plenty of opportunities to learn patience. But when I
calm down, and maybe count to 10…20…50… I realize waiting is often good for me,
or at least bearable. Waiting, in addition to helping us practice patience, is
celebrated in our liturgical year and in our relationship with God.
A lot of people talk about the instant gratification expected by
our society. Instant contact though the internet, instant (OK near-instant)
food through drive-thrus and microwave meals, and even instant answers and
satisfaction in our faith lives. Lent is a time for prayer, fasting, and
waiting. Hopefully, we make time to remember what we’re waiting for and to
offer our own prayers and sacrifices in gratitude to that ultimate sacrifice.
The Texas State Legislature is in the interim year, as they only
convene in the odd-numbered years. But while we at TCC wait for the next
session to start, we are also preparing ourselves. We monitor committee
assignments and hearings, and work on ideas and concepts that can be developed
into bills. However, we cannot say with certainty that these efforts during the
interim will lead to bills during the legislative session.
Waiting to see how our public policy efforts turn out and waiting
to start them up again can sometimes be antagonizing. Last session we visited
every legislative office on various issues. Hundreds of Catholics made
legislative visits during our Advocacy Days to ask for support of adult stem
cell research and the Children's Health Insurance Program, and opposition to
abortion, the death penalty, and unjust criminal justice and immigration
practices. We made phone calls, testified at hearings, and prayed…and yet several
of these goals were not met. I'm certain I'm not the only one who asked, "God,
why aren’t our prayers to end abortion, hunger, war, and hatred working?”
When things don’t go our way, especially when we truly believe
that our way is God’s way, we feel overwhelmed, lost, wanderers in all of the
evil in the world. But we must remember that this wonderful event that we anticipate
during Lent is the freedom from the slavery of death. Remembering the Israelites who were freed
from slavery in Egypt, we must recognize that sometimes God wants us to wander.
Do we have the patience to wait for 10, 20, 40 years for an answer from God? Rather
than grumbling, doubting God, losing hope, or creating false imitations of God,
we must remember the cross, and with it the resurrection, which has secured
eternal life.
We are encouraged by Paul to "persevere in running the race that
lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter
of faith.” This Lent, through our prayers, our volunteering and our advocacy,
let us find comfort in our period of waiting, recognizing that luckily we know
the ending, our victory is won.
For more information on the public policy work of the Texas
Catholic Conference, visit www.TXcatholic.org.
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