As campus prepares for the birth of Christ, hear from the members of Loras College leadership as they share advent reflections for the weeks ahead. May you all have a blessed Advent and Christmas season.
Friday, December 5, 2025
A reflection from Fr. Dustin Vu, VP for Catholic Identity, Mission, & Vocation
Dear Loras Community,
I would like to share a message and reflection I gave at this past weekend’s mass in Christ the King chapel.
Friends, you may see Father Vu smiling all the time, but truthfully, inside I am a very impatient person. I struggle waiting at traffic lights, in grocery store lines, and yes even for the microwave to finish heating my food. My guess is: I am not alone in this. That is why the Church gives us the Season of Advent to train us how to holy wait – we wait with purpose and with hope.
Waiting is not wasted time but rather it purifies us. Think of all the great moments of salvation that were shaped by waiting: Israel waited generations for the Messiah; Mary waited in trust as Christ grew within her; The early Church waited for the Spirit to descend at Pentecost, and we now wait for Christ to come again. See, none of these are passive moments. They are all moments of growth, deepening, stretching of the heart.
Friends, waiting is where God does His best works. When we wait, we learn humility; When we wait, we learn trust; When we wait, we learn what truly matters; And when we wait, we begin to see that we are not in control – God is. Even with the things we wait for that never seem to come (like my Minnesota Vikings never once won a Super Bowl), this reminds me that some hopes are temporary and earthly. But our hope in Jesus Christ never disappoints – Christ DOES Come! He will come again in glory. He comes now – quietly, slowly, gently – in our waiting. So let us embrace this time of Holy Waiting, creating space for transformation.
As we prepare for Christmas over the coming weeks, you will hear from members of our Loras community with their own Advent reflections. I invite you to spend time with these reflections and consider their meaning in your own life.
God bless you all and good luck with the end of the semester.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Vu
