Dear Friends,
We are now at the Second Sunday of Advent. Last weekend, our readings helped to outline the focus of this Advent season. Simply stated Advent invites us to ponder the Coming of the Christ ~ Jesus. In actuality, there are three comings of the Lord to reflect upon. His coming in the flesh with His birth at Bethlehem, His coming in glory at the end of time, His coming here and now through His Mystical Body, the Church.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen noted that the only religious founder whose coming was clearly predicted is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies, anticipating the Lord’s coming and His work of salvation. And Jesus’ followers reference those frequently as they proclaim Jesus, the Lord. The Birth of Christ is the pivotal point of all time and all human history.
Jesus comes to us now as highlighted in the Book of Revelation. There we are told that Jesus stands at the door [of our heart] and knocks, seeking entrance. In His Church, He offers us Himself especially in the Sacraments, in the proclamation of His Word, in the art and architecture of our houses of worship, in the lives of the Saints, in the poor. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for someone in need, we are doing it to Him. Advent is the time for us to open or re-open the door of our hearts to allow Jesus to be Lord for us personally.
Jesus will come again, His second coming in glory. For Christians, history has a trajectory, an end point. We are moving towards something, Someone. In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus spoke about the collapsing of the world as we know it and those things that govern this fallen world as well as the collapsing of cosmos. Why? In order that the new heavens and the new earth can come forth, the fulfillment of and the perfection of all things according to the redemptive plan of God our Father.
This Advent especially may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s three comings through some personal sacrifice and some additional prayer. I am not suggesting a Lenten approach to these four weeks but a raising of our consciousness to the presence of Christ here and now as we prepare ourselves to celebrate His Birth and wait in hope for His return in glory.
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
