1st Sunday of Advent 2.12.07
We are told in today’s Gospel that when the events of the Last Day come upon us, far from being afraid, we should, as faithful followers of Our Lord, go out to meet Him, with our heads held high.
Not for us the terror of those who have rebelled against Him.
The teaching of the Second Coming of Christ is a rather neglected part of our tradition. Perhaps because it is something that has not happened yet, it is much harder to talk about than some of the other events which have happened.
Nevertheless it is part of our belief and we reaffirm it in every Creed: He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
On that day every person who has ever lived will come back to life; will bodily rise from the grave. It will be a day like no other. If we think the Olympic Games and World Cup soccer are big, this event will far eclipse them all.
We are told to look forward to this day. It all depends on the wording. If we told someone we were looking forward to the end of the world, they would question our mental stability; but if we say we are looking forward to the return of Christ – well, that is alright. Yet the two events are the same. The coming of Christ will end the world, at least as we know it.
We should not fear this day. If we do fear it the only possible reason is that we have Sin dividing us from Our Lord. So, the remedy in that case is to remove the sin, and perfect love will cast out fear.
We will be glad to see Him simply because we love Him, not to mention that He will be setting everything right.
What about all our plans? Will He not be interrupting our plans to get married or start a new job, or build a new house, or just plain holidays?
But anything He interrupts – we need not worry – He will give us something far better in its place.
When will this event occur? Every generation has wondered, and thought that perhaps they would be the last.
We understand from the Scriptures and with the help of the Fathers that there will be certain signs preceding the Last Day.
These include: disturbances in nature; a major conversion of Jews; the return of Enoch and Elijah; widespread apostasy (we have already qualified for that one!); the coming of Antichrist.
We will have some warning, but Our Lord does not want us to be too absorbed in when it will happen. Rather, He wants us to be on our toes, like the wise bridesmaids or the faithful servants of the Gospel. Not knowing when helps us to engage more fully in the task before us.
And that task is to fill every available minute with love for God and making Him known to the people around us.
The ending could come in two ways: before it comes things could get worse or they could get better.
Worse: will the Son of Man find any faith when He returns? Things could get to the point that even the elect would be tempted to lose their faith. If so the Son of Man will return in time to save them.
Best: we could, by the grace of God, succeed in spreading the Kingdom and bringing people in from all directions. Then we will be hastening the coming of the Lord and the Last Day will not be a terrifying event but one that most people will be welcoming.
We hope things get better but even if they do not, we who hear or read these words can resolve to hold firm. By His grace and our mutual prayer and example we can hold each other to this resolution. All the while we make our own the prayer of the second last verse of the Bible: Amen, Come, Lord Jesus!
