During Advent, Mary and Joseph waited for the birth of their child, in difficult and dangerous circumstances. Around the world today, many new parents also face great difficulties, as we see in this extract from Fr David O'Malley's 'Trust the Road'. Preparing to welcome a new life involves making big changes to ourselves and the way we do things. Advent allows us to reflect on our own lives, and consider what we can do to make a fresh start with the child Jesus.

My best friend became a dad today.

He's totally confused. He's a dad and he's proud of it from his macho haircut down to his size ten feet. There are tears in his eyes and he's buying drinks tonight for everyone. I hope he has a lot more children! I can see him trying to be tough and literally shrug it off as he talks to the barman. But as he turns round I can see the pride glowing like a nuclear reactor inside him. He keeps talking about it, describing his tiny new son to anyone who will listen. My best friend has changed a lot.

Later on that night I drove him back to his place for a coffee and he showed me the cot and the clothes waiting for the return of mother and son from hospital. We sat and talked about the wonder of it all. What would his baby turn out to be? What kind of dad would he want to be in the years ahead?

For a few minutes we sat in silence, soaking up the new sense of responsibility that was seeping into his life. Adjusting to a new focus that was already more important than anything else that had happened.

I sat thinking about how he had changed over the last few weeks. The worry, the false alarms and the increasing need to be at home; all marked the beginning of a new adventure in his life. The sports-club tough man had been tamed by a little baby. It was his own Christmas story, a difficult birth at a tough time with all the uncertainty of what it might mean. But it was a new birth for him too. Something new was born in him that night, a new pride, a new gentleness and determination to live out his responsibilities. I was immensely proud of him and equally envious of the joy and peace he radiated that night when he became a dad.

From Trust the Road, David O'Malley SDB p 25

Waiting on the Road

Waiting -
Waiting for the kettle to boil,
Waiting for the phone to ring,
the end of the day,
the mark for the essay,
the next bus,
the pay cheque.
We wait for letters,
for holidays,
for signs of friendship,
for promotion,
for the end of term,
for forgiveness.
We wait for everything that is really worth having.
We wait to be born,
For love to touch us,
for life to grow,
for healing of hurts,
for a turning point in the road.
Lord, teach us to wait on your wisdom, on your timing and on your methods.
Help us to surrender our self-importance to the freedom of trusting you.

From Trust the Road, David O'Malley SDB p 94