Waiting on God : Becoming What God Wants Us to Be

by McBride, Denis

• ISBN13: 9780764812156
• ISBN10: 0764812157
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-30
• Publisher: Liguori Pubns

Summary

In today's fast-paced culture, waiting is not easy. We have microwave ovens, high-speed Internet, and drive-through windows -- all to make the tasks of life quicker. Amid our need for immediate results and instant gratification, we easily overlook the spiritual value of patience and anticipation. This book explores the practice of "waiting for God" as an essential process in spiritual growth. That kind of waiting is more than just sitting back and taking it easy until something happens. Rather, our calling from God is a command to active, hope-filled waiting.

Author Biography

Denis McBride, C.Ss.R., is internationally known as a lecturer and writer on the New Testament. He holds graduate degrees in theology and scripture. Father McBride is currently Director of Courses at Hawkstone Hall, the Redemptorist international pastoral center in Shropshire

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE: WAITING: WHY BOTHER?
An Old Priest Waits	1	(3)
Work and Identity	4	(2)
The Authority of Experience	6	(3)
The Culture of Immediacy	9	(3)
Waiting to Be Avoided	12	(4)
Waiting Not to Be Avoided	16	(5)
CHAPTER TWO: WAITING FOR GOD
The King and the Runners	21	(2)
Abraham and Sarah: Waiting for New Life	23	(3)
Promises and Expectations	26	(3)
Failure to Imagine God's Promises	29	(3)
Learning to Dream Again	32	(2)
Waiting As Process	34	(3)
CHAPTER THREE: WAITING FOR GOSPEL
"Promises, Promises!"	37	(2)
Zechariah Is Interrupted	39	(6)
Mary Is Interrupted	45	(3)
The Mothers Who Wait Together	48	(2)
Simeon and Anna: Waiting for Gospel	50	(2)
Advent: Setting the Tone	52	(3)
CHAPTER FOUR: WAITING IN PASSION
The Passion As Central Story	55	(2)
Journeying to Gethsemane	57	(1)
Waiting in Gethsemane	58	(6)
The Language of the Ministry	64	(1)
The Language of the Passion	65	(2)
From Action to Passion	67	(3)
Power Not Exercised	70	(2)
A Figure of Passion	72	(3)
CHAPTER FIVE: WAITING FOR AN ENDING
Living in Hell	75	(2)
Preparing the Disciples	77	(5)
Waiting at the End of John's Gospel	82	(2)
Waiting at the End of Luke's Gospel	84	(7)
CHAPTER SIX: WAITING IN ABSENCE
The Absence of God and Suffering	91	(4)
Waiting in Absence	95	(3)
My Mother's Death	98	(4)
Waiting in Loss	102	(7)
CHAPTER SEVEN: WAITING FOR THE SPIRIT
Is the Time of Waiting Over?	109	(3)
The Two Accounts of the Ascension of Jesus	112	(4)
The Community of Memory: The Three Groups	116	(3)
The Community of Spirit	119	(3)
The Community of Memory and Spirit	122	(4)
The Same Spirit	126	(3)
CHAPTER EIGHT: WAITING AND ANXIETY
Reflecting on Ourselves	129	(2)
The Age of Anxiety	131	(4)
Waiting and Anxiety	135	(5)
Redeeming Our Story in a Larger Context	140	(2)
The Courage to Go Beyond Anxiety	142	(3)
Anxiety and Prayer	145	(6)
CHAPTER NINE: WAITING IN JOYFUL HOPE
The Creative Word of God	151	(3)
Waiting Inside the Creative Word of Promise	154	(2)
Waiting Together in a Community of Worship	156	(5)
Hope and Help	161	(4)
Waiting in Joyful Hope	165	(6)
EPILOGUE
The Old Woman	171	(6)
NOTES	177