Reflection for the First Week of Advent

As the season of Advent begins, I invite you to reflect upon this question: If Christ’s Second Coming were to happen in one minute, would you be ready?

Advent is a time full of hustle and bustle. We spend these weeks eagerly decorating our homes for Christmas, making plans to spend time with family and friends, and even listening to music that helps us become fully immersed in the season. We do all this so that when Christmas finally comes around, we are eager and ready for a joyous celebration!

These exterior preparations act as a sign of the interior preparation we are called to make for Christ’s three comings: His Incarnation, His coming now into our hearts, and His coming at the end of time in glory. The Gospel for this first week in Advent leads us to reflect in a particular way on Christ’s coming at the end of time: “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44).

This Gospel reminds me of when I was a little girl and my parents would ask me to complete some chores while they ran errands. Of course, I had no interest in doing chores, so I would do other random activities instead. Then my parents would come home when I least expected it, and a rush of regret would fill me. I was out of time to do what was asked of me! In contrast, I also think of all the times when I spent hours preparing to host parties for my friends, and I would watch and wait at the window to joyfully greet them when they arrived. Which one will I be when Christ comes again? If Christ’s Second Coming happens in one minute, am I ready to greet Him with joy?

Christ’s glorious coming will be unimaginably greater than any human celebration, and the stakes of preparation are much higher. Your readiness impacts how you will spend eternity! Christ will come in glory to judge the living and the dead, the present time will pass away, and a new heaven and earth will be established fully under God’s dominion. Those who have prepared well for this will then “reign forever with Christ” and enjoy the beatific vision of the Blessed Trinity, the “ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion” (CCC 1042, 1045).

So, how do we prepare well for this glorious occasion? We must do the “chores” Christ asks of us with love, with love being the measure of our readiness when He comes. All exterior preparation flows from this love: Do you consistently spend time in prayer each day getting to know the One you are awaiting? Are you allowing yourself to be transformed by the rich sacramental life He offers you, especially in the Eucharist? Are you responding to Christ’s call to proclaim the Gospel and to love your neighbor through works of mercy? In your free time, are you picking up your Bible to read the story He wrote for you, or are you instead picking up your phone to scroll through social media?

The task of growing in love is never complete, for it is always possible to love more. This makes the entirety of our lives a preparation for Christ’s coming in glory. We must grow in this love with joyful haste, not wasting even a second. For though we do not know the hour of His arrival, we know that now is the time to prepare. He really could come in one minute, and eternity awaits!

So as this Advent season begins, strive eagerly to decorate the home of your heart with charity, expressing this love concretely in the way you live your life. By doing this daily, you will become eager and ready to welcome Him at the end of time. Behold, even now He is knocking at the door of your heart, desiring to be with you. Rise up and greet Him with joy!