he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
In this season of Advent, we are all called to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the coming of Christ into the world on Christmas. However, we are also preparing ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ as well. Both the Incarnation and Second Coming are central beliefs in our faith. They are the bookends to what it means to be Christian. It is our belief in the Incarnation that is the bedrock of our faith. It reveals to us a loving Savior, who was willing to suffer, die, and be buried for us so that we could rise again with him. It is the Second Coming that gives us hope in a merciful judgment at the end of time and the possibility of eternal life spent with God if we follow His commandments, teachings, and inspirations. Taken together these two revelations provide us with the greatest expressions of love we will ever experience. And it is this love we are all called to imitate throughout our lives by being there for God and others, acting with love toward God and His children, and showing mercy toward those who have trespassed against us.
How can we prepare ourselves to celebrate the gift of the Incarnation at Christmas? Are we preparing ourselves for the Second Coming by living good and faithful lives? How can we give thanks to God for these great gifts, both past and future?
O Lord, help us to stay awake and prepare a place for you in our hearts.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment