The Lord Jesus is coming

Advent is the season in which we prepare for the Lord’s coming. Coming right before Christmas, it helps prepare us spiritually for that great celebration.

But the Church does not forget that there is another coming of Christ for which we must prepare, not just the commemoration of Christ’s first coming at Christmas, but the coming of Christ at the end of the world.

Indeed, the focus of the readings on this the first Sunday of Advent is not the image of a infant born in a stable, but rather the image of the Lord coming in glory to judge the world and set all things right.

Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew 24 most especially drives home the fact that God will indeed suddenly break into the course of everyday human events.

Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.

Some Christians have taken this passage and others and have fashioned them into detailed narratives of exactly how the world will end. They debate among themselves the relative timing of apocalyptic events, paint fantastic pictures, and turn out book after book.

In all of this speculation and even novelization about the end of the world, however, one fears that the most fundamental points are getting lost:

• We do not and will not know when it is going to happen.
  
• We must be ready… now.

We’re not just talking about doomsday: we’re also talking about death.

Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.

We must be prepared. It could happen at any time.

How do we prepare? St. Paul puts it this way in Romans 13:

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Whether we’re talking about the end of the world or about the stopping of the heart, we must make spiritual preparations. When St. Paul says we are to “make no provision for the desires of the flesh” he is not just telling us to avoid decadence and bad behavior. He is telling us that our attention needs to be focused on Christ and on the things of the spirit.

Living according to the flesh doesn’t just mean decadence and excess, it also includes focusing on the things of this world as if they are what will bring us eternal happiness.

They won’t. What happens on earth stays on earth – and our life on earth is going to end.

If our hearts are on the things of this world, then our hearts will not be ready for life in the world to come, and then all we will have to look forward to is destruction and eternal oblivion.

May God have mercy on us all.

If, however, the focus of our lives is on Christ and our spiritual lives, then by his grace we will have life in the world to come.

It isn’t a matter of lip service. It isn’t enough to say, “Oh, yes, my heart is with Jesus,” and then go on with our lives and business as usual in this world. Everything we do should be in accord with a spiritual, Christ-like mindset.

Advent is a time of preparation. We need to take this opportunity to prepare, to examine our lives and to see where our hearts are: on the things of this world, or on the spiritual things that will carry us into the life of the world to come. We can take this opportunity to make a new start and to draw closer to the Lord through his grace while we’re in this world so that we will be ready when he comes.

Let’s get ready. The Lord Jesus is coming.