The first coming of Christ took place
two thousand years ago when Christ was born at Bethlehem. Faith tells us that
He will come again at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. As
far as we are concerned Jesus’ first coming took place in our lives when as
infants we were baptized or when we came to faith in Him. Jesus comes into our
lives to save us. He tirelessly goes on with his work of saving us throughout
our lives. As a farmer starts work afresh in his field each morning so does
Jesus with us. Individually, Christ comes to us time and again in a variety of
ways. There are three particular occasions when His presence in the midst of
the Christian community becomes, so to say, more intense – when we gather to
pray, when we read the scriptures and when we celebrate the Eucharist. Our
whole life should be a continuous advent an ever getting ready to receive
Christ at His repeated comings. It is thus that we shall be prepared for
Christ’s coming at the end of the world. That is why we get ready with the
penitential celebration in our parish on 15th December at 7:00 pm as part of
the advent preparation.
The season of advent is a sacred
season. It is the time of the Lord’s favor, the day of salvation, peace and
reconciliation. The patriarchs and prophets longed and prayed and yearned with
all their hearts for this time. The just man Simeon saw that time and his joy
was boundless. This day, the Church wants us to understand that as Jesus came
once in to the world in the flesh, so now, if we remove all barriers. He is
ready to come to us again at any minute or hour, to make His home spiritually
within us in all His grace. God bless.
Fr. S. Susai Raj.
