How willing are we to follow where God would lead us? Ambrose was a successful attorney and, while a professed Christian, he had not yet been baptized when by popular acclaim he was selected as the bishop of Milan. Believing he was hearing the voice of God in the will of the Christian people of Milan he accepted baptism and became their bishop. And a strong bishop he was! He immersed himself in the writings of the Fathers of the Church and it was through his preaching that the Holy Spirit finally grasped Augustine of Hippo who also accepted baptism and like Ambrose became an important bishop of the Church and a Doctor of the Church. Ambrose was not afraid to stand up to the emperor and even excommunicated him for a time. But he also preached at the emperor's funeral.

Do we trust that our God is with us, perhaps speaking to us through the voices and opinions of those around us? How willing are we to answer the call for workers to help till the soil, sow the seed and, later, gather in the harvest? Are we postponing our commitment to Christ and the Church to some later date when we expect to have more time and leisure?

The season of Advent reminds us that now is the day and now is the hour. Our God provides us with what we need in order to do the task that God sets before us.