Christ the Cornerstone

Watch! We do not know when Christ will come again

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’ ” (Mk 13:33–37)

The First Sunday of Advent seems especially welcome this year. Perhaps, because this year has been so unlike previous years, the chance to begin again has greater significance. Or maybe the challenges and deprivations of the past year have increased, and deepened, our longing for the coming again of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Sunday’s Gospel reading from St. Mark (Mk 13:33–37) tells us that our Lord’s second coming will be a surprise. We don’t know the day or the time. All we can do is wait and be alert. “May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping!” (Mk 13:36)

During this time of pandemic, it’s clear that we’re waiting for several things: a cure for a modern day plague (COVID-19), economic recovery, political and social stability, and a “return to normal” to whatever extent this can be accomplished. We are understandably impatient after more than nine months of fear, deprivation and uncertainty.

Sunday’s First Reading from the Book of Isaiah (Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7) describes our impatience and anxiety:

“Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. … Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you” (Is 63:17, 19).

We acknowledge that we have lost our way, and we long for the Lord’s return to save us from both external and internal threats to our health, safety and spiritual well-being. As we pray in Sunday’s responsorial psalm:

“O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
And come to save us” (Ps 80).

There is a paradox here. Advent recalls our longing for the Savior’s return, but it also challenges us to remember that our salvation has already occurred in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The Blessed Hope that we await now is the One who came among us as a man 2,000 years ago and who is present to us in his Word, his sacraments (especially the Eucharist), and in our encounters with our sisters and brothers in his name. The paradox is that what we are longing for is something we already have—the healing power of Jesus Christ.

The fact remains that we must be vigilant. We must wait in joyful hope for the “new normal” that will happen when our Lord returns to ensure peace, justice and human dignity for all. We must strenuously resist the temptation to despair or become complacent or indifferent, especially toward the suffering of others. And we must do everything in our power to make sure that we are ready for the changes that will occur when the Lord returns on the Last Day.

In the Second reading for the First Sunday of Advent, St. Paul tells us how blessed we are—in spite of everything.

“I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:4-7).

We are “enriched in every way,” and we are not “lacking in any spiritual gift” as we await the Blessed Hope who is, in fact, here with us now by the miracle of God’s grace.

This means that we can endure the devastating effects of the pandemic—provided that we watch for Jesus as he manifests his presence among us in sacred Scripture, in the Eucharist and in our encounters (socially distant but spiritually close) with everyone we meet. Alone, we are no match for the evil we confront every day. Together, with the grace of God bestowed on us in Christ, we can prevail.

Let’s pray for the coming of our Lord this Advent. Let’s ask him to help us be ready and watch for him patiently until he returns. †