Preparing for the Coming of Christ at the End of Time

The third focus of our preparation for the coming of Christ is on how we prepare for Christ’s coming at the end of time. We speak of Jesus’s second coming whenever we say the words of the Creed at Mass, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.” Too often we fall into the trap of focusing solely on the first coming of Christ during Advent, so let us turn today to the second coming of Christ at the end of all days. 

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem compares these two comings of Christ when he says, “At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels. We look then beyond the first coming and await the second.” (Cat. 15, 1-3: PG 33, 870-874)

We must prepare for this second coming of Christ by welcoming Christ into our hearts, receiving his grace in the sacraments, and by serving Christ in others. Christ warns us that “of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Mt 24:36) This means that there is an urgency to prepare. We should live everyday as if it is our last day, the day on which we appear before God to receive judgment. 

The Liturgy of the Hours helps show us the urgency of the coming of Christ through the advent invitatory antiphons. During Advent prior to December 17th, the antiphon is “Come, let us worship the Lord, the King who is to come.” In this first antiphon it is clear that Christ our King is coming, but there is not a sense of urgency. On December 17th the antiphon switches to “The Lord is close at hand; come, let us worship him.” In this antiphon there is a new sense of urgency that is introduced by the words “close at hand.” Then on Christmas Eve the antiphon becomes “Today you will know the Lord is coming, and in the morning you will see his glory.” This is the most urgent of the Advent antiphons as it is focusing on the fact that the Lord is coming today. 

We should instill this urgency in our hearts, so that we might not be caught off guard. The advent of the Lord is upon us, but are we ready? 

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