In another sense also Advent is significant because it brings a different theme in the Church’s celebration.In Advent, the Church reflects on the theme of hope, and longing for the Lord Jesus’ coming.The colour for celebrations in Advent is violet.
The coming of Jesus Christ is an everyday reality.It is an event of the past the present and the future which is accepted through faith and translated into life by all that are convinced.Christians accept that Jesus Christ came into this world two thousand years ago by his birth as a human being in Bethlehem of Judah.It is part of the Christian faith that Jesus presently comes to us daily in our act of worship and in the word of God that we read and hear preached in the Church.
Again it is proclaimed as our mystery of faith that Jesus Christ will come on the last day of the world.He will come as judge and he will arbitrate with justice and mercy as Lord and God.Anytime we celebrate in a worthy manner the first coming of Jesus, it enables us to be conscious of his day to day coming and to respond to him well.In so doing, we put ourselves in a good position to receive him well.Jesus makes his final advent in our lives and now is the time when we should be more conscious about it.
Christ’s first coming didn’t find most of his people ready because they had ignored the messages of the prophets.Jesus performed his ministry and made his presence felt in the world.He through his message, told all who were looking for fulfillment and perfect joy in life to prepare to receive this through his second coming by following the path of his life.(Lk. 9:23-24)
Christ also warned against worldliness and the cares of life.He warned against laziness and idleness towards the ways of God.He advocated for vigilance and for constancy in prayer.In Luke 21:34-36, this is what he taught:“Watch yourselves or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly like a trap.For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth.Stay awake, praying at all time for the strength to survive all that is going to happen and stand with confidence before the son of man”.
We always have to remember the first coming of Jesus Christ and follow the commandments he taught.In this way, we can see his hand in our day to day lives and be able to celebrate his life in our Christian fellowship and at the holy mass.May his coming at Christmas enable us to prepare for his coming at the end of time.
