Jesus did come, is coming now and will come again

The entire season of Advent is all focusing on how God, in Jesus’ Christ comes.  Part of it will be, especially as we get closer to Christmas, on that first entrance of Jesus into human history. 

But the first couple of weeks in Advent we’re reminded about the reality that Jesus is coming at THE end of the world.  And it’s easy for most of us to as soon as we start hearing it being described, we can zone out hearing all of that imagery.   

Because with our own “ends of the world” very much on our minds and hearts, many (or maybe most) of us are anxious or overwhelmed even before we walk into Mass… 

Each Mass is a manifestation of the God-Man who came to live among us and live within us.  If we but have the faith of the centurion in today’s Gospel reading, we, too, will be blessed by our God beyond measure.

I think that’s why Jesus makes a point of telling us in this Gospel to not let our hearts get drowsy and tired by it all.  It’s way too easy to give into the temptation to try and numb the pain, or distract ourselves from troubles by overworking, yielding to depression; turning towards Alcohol or sexual sins or other out of control behaviors – like spending countless hours online or Netflixing, and on and on…   which all contribute to this fog of busy-ness we all seem to be suffering from.  And if I’m already depressed by whatever it is I feel is the end of the world in my life…  and I’m filling my time with all this other unhelpful stuff – it’s understandable that I would feel doomy and gloomy… and kind of dismiss the Gospel reading. 

 Advent wants to wake us out of that drowsiness…

 Advent wants us to get more serious and break us out of those destructive things that distract and unsettle us. Most especially because Advent wants us to remember and focus on the reality, the third way that Jesus comes– Jesus comes to us here and now – most especially as we hear His word and receive His Body and Blood in the Eucharist at Mass. 

Advent tells us to take a breath, and rediscover how God is constantly trying to break into our crazy, distracted, shifting worlds… Jesus wants to come into it all no matter what it is we’re experiencing, wherever we find ourselves right now.  Jesus wants to come to console, to strengthen us.  Jesus wants us to discover or rediscover how His presence in our lives helps us any and everything that comes our way.

Advent is a joyful time to recall that Jesus has come, will come and continues to come to those who welcome Him…