SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT: DO NOT IGNORE THIS FACT

READINGS: SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

The readings of this Second Sunday of Advent, Year C, call us to something serious by these words “Do not ignore this one fact, the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:8-10). “Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! You do not know when the appointed time will come.” Many a time, we see Advent as the commemoration of the birth of Christ, but, in its truest meaning, it is more so the preparation for the second coming of Christ—Judgement as different from the first coming of Christ, which was for salvation. What then should we be focused upon during advent?

Many people have chosen to respond to this consequential end times in varied ways. We have “The Calculators”—those preoccupied with figuring out when Christ is coming back again and when the end of the world will be. But Scripture says, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7) and "About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). My friends, we may not be here when Christ comes back again; we may not be here when the world comes to an end; but one thing is certain, we will surely be here when our life on earth ends. It is not the end of the world we should be preparing for but the end of our lives because at that point, there will be no more room for reconciliation, no time to make amends or get it right with God (cf. Luke 16: 19-31).

There are also those who choose to be “Indifferent”—those who simply could care less and who believe we are just human beings having a human experience on earth. There is nothing to account for and as Jean Paul Sartre would say, “Simply enjoy life when you can, suffer life when it comes, you will die and that is the end”. But Scripture says, “Do not neglect this fact; the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:8). It is better to find out at the end that there is no God, heaven, and hail (Nothing to lose) than to find out at the end that there is God, heaven, and hail and there is no chance to make things right (everything to lose).

Then, we do have “The Determined”—those who chose to be intentional about loving and worshiping God; who believe God and His word, recognize God’s work in their lives and in all that is created, and allow the sense of God to pervade how they see the world, themselves, and others. They live life in the present, doing all they can to account for today, realizing that yesterday is gone, and that tomorrow is not a promise. Their life is filled with gratitude and gratefulness, appreciating every gift and taking nothing for granted. They live a life of compassion and empathy, able to sense and feel the joys and pains of others, take their identity as children of God seriously, and recognize the same worth in others. They are constantly mindful of the need to stay reconciled with God, self, and neighbor, always seeking forgiveness from God for sins committed, asking forgiveness from those they have offended, and forgiving others for offences, and themselves for shortcomings. My friends, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future. Let us believe God, as we continue fervently in our advent preparation, where Scripture says, “The Lord God Himself will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8-9).