One of the essential paradoxes of Advent: that while we wait for God, we are with God all along, that while we need to be reassured of God's arrival, or the arrival of our homecoming, we are already at home. While we wait, we have to trust, to have faith, but it is God's grace that gives us that faith. As with all spiritual knowledge, two things are true, and equally true, at once. The mind can't grasp paradox; it is the knowledge of the soul.
This quote beautifully captures the profound paradox at the heart of spiritual life and faith. It reminds us that in our anticipation of divine presence or a significant spiritual moment, there exists a simultaneity of being and becoming—while we yearn for God's arrival, we are inherently immersed in divine presence already. This duality echoes the timeless spiritual truth that faith often involves trust in unseen realities—believing in what we do not yet fully perceive. The acknowledgment that it is God's grace that empowers us to have faith underscores the idea that spiritual growth and understanding are gifts, not achievements garnered solely through human effort. The paradox here is not a contradiction to be resolved but a paradox to be embraced—something the rational mind struggles to comprehend but that the soul recognizes as fundamental to spiritual wisdom. It points to a deeper truth: that spiritual experiences transcend dualistic thinking, and true knowledge resides beyond the grasp of the mind, rooted instead in the heart and soul. This perspective invites humility, trust, and an openness to divine mysteries, encouraging us to accept that enlightenment involves holding seemingly opposing truths simultaneously. It’s a reminder that faith is both a journey and a state of already being at home within divine presence, urging us to live with a balance of patience and trust, understanding that divine grace sustains us in both waiting and being present.
