It’s the start of Advent—a four-week preparation for Christmas. But let’s not forget that it’s the dual invitation of anticipating the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
It’s Christ’s Second Coming that seems to bring discomfort, fear, and restlessness to us. Why? It’s because we always think of it as the end of the world.
Indeed, even the early Christians anticipated the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. That’s why we had people who spent their time in prayer and waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus. And still, there are Christians in the present time that think the so-called “rupture” will come soon.
But we all know that the Gospel speaks of the uncertain time when the Jesus will come again. We don’t know the day or the hour of his second coming, but we must be ready.
The Gospel of Mark this Sunday, 13:33-37, tells us:
“Take heed! Be alert! For you do not know when that time is. It is like a man who goes away, leaves his household, and puts his servants in charge, giving to each his work, and he orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore!”
To be on the watch means being mindful of our lives’ temporal nature and being faithful to Jesus’ commandments of love, mercy, and justice. Our love for God and fidelity to his teachings prepare us for his Second Coming. And so, we don’t have any reason to fear if we are consistently living out the Gospel of Christ.
It’s challenging to be faithful to Jesus every day, to keep building his kingdom of peace and justice in this world, and to persuade people to believe in him and follow him. We must be patient, persevere, stand firm, and endure any suffering and persecution. We need to keep focusing on Jesus and his desire to redeem the world and everyone.
I invite you all to enter into this spirit of Advent. It’s a period of longing for peace and healing, of penance and patient endurance, of hope and greater awareness of discipleship to share our Christian faith with others and to be mindful of the needs and sufferings of other people.
And as we continue to face the hardship of not being able to do our usual celebrations in church and families, let’s remain hopeful for the end of this pandemic. We’ll keep praying for the world’s healing and the end of divisions and conflicts among us. Amen!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
