Advent 1 - The Second Coming of Christ, Part 1

 

Homily for December 3, 2023

Advent 1

The Coming of Christ, Part 1

 

            During the Communist oppression of Russia, parents used to whisper into the ears of their children as they drifted off to sleep, “Do not be afraid, Christ is coming soon.” This did not cause them fear but comfort – amidst the absolute chaos and violence of the Revolution, they had the hope that Christ will win in the end.

            In these past few years, many people have lamented to me about “the craziness of everything that’s going on” – that seems to be a catch-all phrase for so much of the chaos we see in our modern world: war, broken families, addictions, mental illness, redefining everything that once was stable, economic chaos, pandemics…you name it. At a certain point we human beings have made such a mess that we need a Divine Intervention to set things right – which is why, for those who are on His side, Christ’s coming will be a joyous occasion, for all things will be made new when He returns!

            During Advent, we are not only waiting for Christmas, we are also waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. How fitting it is in this northern hemisphere that we await the shortest day of the year, knowing that afterward, the light will return. So as we see Western Civilization drifting into darkness, Christians are able to see it with the firm confidence that the Light will return when Christ comes again.

            Our readings today make it clear that every generation should be vigilant, because Christ may come again at any point. But I think in a particular way our generation is called to vigilance, for several reasons.

            First, if we consider that human history is a storybook telling the story of Salvation History, every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning was Creation and the Fall. The climax was Christ’s death and resurrection, which began the process of bringing the world back to its original glory. The end of the book is when we all live “happily ever after” in the New Creation when Christ returns. We are already 2023 pages past the middle of the book…which means we must be getting towards the end! In fact, we are now about as many years removed from Christ as Abraham was – a ponderous thought!

            In addition, I think there are some elements of our modern world that make this time uniquely ripe for Christ’s return. For example, never before in human history has the a world been so interconnected – someone can post something in Australia and it will be read in Paris in a matter of seconds. While this has been used for great good, Popes Benedict and Francis have often decried what they called “ideological colonization” – the fact that we can now export the worst elements of modern culture around the globe. For example, through the influence of American media, we have exported our materialism into third world countries that at one time were content with their simple lives. Many lucrative grants are offered to third-world countries to provide food and clean water…but only if they promote and comply with first-world family planning (i.e. population control).

            Another element of our modern world that could signal Christ’s immanent return is the widespread atheism and apostasy that has never before been seen on such a large scale. People are leaving religion in droves – we have never before had a culture that is truly secular, as we do now. In fact the word “culture” comes from the Latin “cultus”, meaning worship – it was always some sort of faith that held a culture together (whether Christianity, Islam, Eastern religions, or just the ancient pagan religions that all tribes ascribed to). We now have a world where religion is passe. Since religion no longer binds us together (as the word “religion” comes from the Latin “re-ligare” which means to bind), then the result is relativism – the belief that there are no truths, we can all define our own. Never before in human history has relativism been the prevailing philosophy.

            Finally, although sin has always been there, the sheer magnitude of sin cries out for God’s redemption. On a daily basis, how many millions of people commit the sin of gossip through social media? Every year, over 930,000 unborn babies lose their lives to abortion in America alone – this is more than any war or barbaric society could even conceive of in the past. The amount of bad pictures and videos of sex and violence that a man can look up in an afternoon is more than the most decadent Roman emperor could see in his lifetime. The ease with which one can fall into sin, coupled with the abandonment of God, cries out for His intervention!

            And thus, I feel like we are like the Israelites of today’s passionate first reading: “Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for!” As Christians our whole lives should be “Maranatha,” the ancient Christian cry meaning “Come, Lord Jesus!”

            Whenever it does come, let us be prepared – our lamps burning, our faith strong, our hearts expecting Him to come and bring about the healing that we cannot. The world will not be saved through politics, laws, or economics – it will only be saved when God radically breaks into human history to return triumphantly – not as an innocent baby, but as a mighty judge who will bring justice for His people who await His return.

            And so we watch and we pray, “Come quickly, O Lord!”