Advent Preparation – Be Ready For Jesus’ Coming

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Advent is the season just before Christmas and it is given to us by Holy Mother Church to help us prepare for Jesus’ coming into our lives. It is indeed a very beautiful gift that should not be taken for granted, and should be used to help us grow spiritually which is what matters most. Now Jesus can come to us in a number of ways.

We can encounter Jesus through other persons
We can encounter Jesus through the Sacraments of the Church
We can encounter Jesus through nature.
We encounter Jesus when He comes again

In this post, the encounter with Jesus that we are looking at in particular is when Jesus comes again. This can be the final coming of Jesus at the end of time, when heaven and earth will pass away, or it can be at the end of our days when we die. At this time, we will see Jesus face-to-face when he comes as a judge, and we will have to account for how we lived.

Many are afraid of dying, but this is one aspect of our lives that no one can change, and that every single human being will encounter. Every single one of us will die one day. There is no way that we can avoid this. It is a given. No amount of denial will change this fact. When we die we will be judged as mentioned before. While we cannot change this fact, we can, depending on how we lived, determine where we hope to go after we have left this life. The beautiful season of Advent helps us prepare for our final moments here on earth – whenever that may be. It helps us to keep in mind that we will die one day and challenges us to live lives that are pleasing to God. It challenges us to live lives that constantly prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. Advent helps us to prepare ourselves for this passage through this doorway into eternity by challenging us to look at our lives.

One of the questions that is asked during Advent is are you ready? This question refers not just to whether we are ready for Christmas, but it also relates to whether we are ready for Jesus’ second coming, be it at the end of time, or at the end of our time. So are you ready? If Christ were to return now, would you be ready or would you beg for more time? If you are not quite ready, what would you need to change? What relationships would you have you have to work on? What aspects of your life would you need to surrender to Jesus? These are some of the questions that Advent challenges us to keep in mind. If we approach this beautiful season of Advent the right way and take all of its challenges seriously, we will always be ready. We will be ready for Jesus coming at Christmas, and we will be ready when he comes at the end of time.

In his best selling book “The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People”, Steve Kovy identifies the second habit as “begin with the end in mind”. From the inception of Advent, this too has been the cry of Holy Mother Church; begin with the end in mind. Holy Mother Church has been constantly reminding us during Advent, and all throughout the year to keep in mind where we want to spend all eternity. If our desire is to go to Heaven, then we must do what it takes for us to get there – to “be holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy”. We must live our lives in ways that are pleasing to Almighty God. If we do not, then we cannot expect to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Begin with the end in mind. Live each day as if it were your last. Live each day as if you were expecting Jesus to come to you as King and Judge any moment. If in earnest we do this, then we’ll be on the right track.

Happy and Holy Advent to you.