As Catholics, the season of Advent invites us to prepare for more than the historical birth of Jesus—it calls us to reflect on His second coming. Is the second coming in the future? The apocalyptic event? Let me throw a spanner in the works. The second coming of Christ is here and now; it is deeply personal.
Three Comings of the Lord
Saint Bernard says there are three comings of the Lord. There is the first coming when our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness. In the final coming all flesh will see the salvation of our God and see His glory and majesty. Then there is an intermediate coming, a hidden one; where we see the Lord within our own selves, where we witness his spirit and power.
In John 14:23, Jesus said “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” In Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”
Christ seeks to enter our hearts daily, transforming our lives with His presence.
From Old to New
This Advent, let us be reminded that our personal second coming happens when we invite Jesus into our hearts. This encounter fulfills God’s promise to be with His people, a covenant established in the Old Testament and fulfilled through Christ. As Pope Francis teaches: “God is faithful to His promises. He is the God of surprises, yet He never changes: He remains the same.”
In the Old Testament, God’s covenant with Abraham, Moses, and David revealed His steadfast love. He promised redemption through a Messiah, as Isaiah prophesied: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). This promise was kept in the New Testament when Jesus, God’s Son, came to dwell among us, showing the same love and mercy that God revealed to His chosen people.
Begin with a Simple Mantra
Preparing for the personal second coming of Christ is like being on the road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ is our redemption; in the last, he will appear as our life; in this middle coming, he is our rest and consolation.
A simple mantra for me (not related to Jennie Blackpink’s recent Mantra hit) comes from one of my childhood hymns. My boomers know this one:
God is dwelling in my heart
He and I are one
All the joy he gives to me
Through Christ his son
And with Jesus in my heart
What have I to fear
For he is the son of God
In my heart he is near
Repeating this while seated in a bus or waiting for a friend, reminds me that God is ever-present in me, and that our Lord still knocks on the door of many hearts.
“Knock. Knock. Is anyone there?”
Shared by Karen R-Fong, a wannabe tai-tai who desires to retire in a library of books and to read with our Lord to her last days.
References:
St Bernard: Three Comings of the Lord
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MWmUhDg4ZMBWChIY4msrBgGfFjkPELtV/view?usp=sharing
Article was with the help of Generative AI.