December 23
Working in our nation's capital often fills me with joy, but it also brings challenges. Advancing policies meant to help people and communities can feel slow, frustrating, and even dark — especially when decisions seem to go against the common good. Passing laws often takes years, sometimes decades. One Medicaid policy I worked on, expanding coverage for individuals, took nearly fifteen years to become law.
Advent reminds me that waiting is not wasted. Like the long path of policy, we often take steps forward and back, facing delays and darkness that test our patience. In those seasons of uncertainty, I draw strength from my Mercy education and the wisdom of Venerable Catherine McAuley: "The simplest and most practical lesson I know is to resolve to be good today, but better tomorrow."
I cannot control when or how laws pass, or the choices of policymakers. What I can control is my own response — my actions, my attitude, and my faith. The rest I entrust to God's timing and plan.
Paulo Pontemayor, MPH
Senior Director for Government Relations, CHA
Pause
How might you practice turning things over to God when the outcome is beyond your control?
Pray
God, who is hope, shine Your light in our darkness so that we may continue to build Your kingdom. Let us be reflections of Your brilliance, always working to make Your goodness known. In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.