We have only three days left in this current liturgical year. After three days, we will be in the season of Advent and a new liturgical year will begin. As we move closer to the end of this current liturgical year, we continue to hear in the gospel the last and glorious things to come. Specifically, today we hear the glorious return of Jesus “coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” We are invited to enter into the glorious return of Jesus by standing erect and raising our heads with much hope and confidence.
I am sure you all believe that the world as we know it is going to end just as Jesus foretold. Jesus foretold that the city of Jerusalem would be totally destroyed and it happened. According to the historian Josephus, over a million inhabitants died when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem with its temple in 70 A.D. Jesus also foretold that this world would disappear, but it is still here. However, as Christians, we believe that what Jesus foretold would be fulfilled. It is just a matter of time. We do not know when. As Jesus said- he doesn’t know and we also do not know the time. Only God the Father knows. So, if we are certain that the world will be destroyed at a time that we do not know, we should prepare ourselves. It means that we should not be spiritually blind not to prepare ourselves as we know that Jesus, King of the universe, will come again to judge the living and the dead. The judgement at the end of the world is certain and if we do not prepare ourselves spiritually, it will be our fault. So, let’s love each other more. Let’s forgive. Let’s do what is good and avoid what is evil more than before. The return of the Lord and the judgement are explicitly mentioned in the gospel.
Jesus will surely return and all will be made new. The question is this: Will you be ready? Will this day take you by surprise? If it were to happen today, what would your reaction be? Would you be fearful? Or would you be joyful? Would you immediately regret? Would you confidently erect your heads because you know that the redemption is near.
Let us ask ourselves these questions and let us reflect how prepared are we for the glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be ready at every moment. Being prepared means we are living fully in His grace and mercy and are living in accord with His perfect will.
Therefore, let us ask God to fill us with his grace and mercy, live accordingly. And let us pray that we may be ever ready for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ by loving and serving God and one another in our daily life.
Written By: Rev. Fr. Richard Thuratun