Advent & End Times: Getting the Most Out of this Season of Preparation
(Readings: Daniel 7:15-27;
Daniel 3:82-87; and Luke 21:34-36)
"Stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand."
(Luke 21:28)
Advent is a time in which we prepare ourselves to both celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus and ready ourselves for his second coming at the end of the world.
During Avent, we hear a lot of readings about the end times, on which both of today readings focus. A common thread among many of the scripture readings about the end times is that they are often quite scary.
In the first reading, Daniel speaks of a lion with eagles’ wings which stands on two feet like a man, and then there is a leopard with four wings and four heads. If that wasn’t bad enough, Daniel goes on the speak of another beast that is terrifying and horrible, with great strength and iron teeth and ten horns, one of which has eyes and a mouth and speaks arrogantly. Now if that’s not scary I don’t know what is.
What could possibly overcome such evil and powerful entities? Only God, right?
All these evil beasts in Daniel’s vision of the end of time foreshadow the evil and strife St. John writes of in the Book of Revelation. To put it lightly, the end times are going to be bad. So bad that only the second coming of Jesus can defeat the evil the world will be engulfed in.
This shouldn’t worry us though, because our hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth, who tells us, “Stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand.”
Jesus, the King of the Universe is at hand. We have nothing to fear.
Over and over in scripture, Jesus tells us not to be afraid. This applies to the end of time as well—no matter the trials, tribulations or terrors we face—because through Jesus, with Jesus, and in Jesus we will be redeemed, saved for eternity, and united with God in everlasting peace.
It’s like Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul: rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” So, the thing we should fear is not any earthly pain or trial we face in life. The thing we should fear is not being prepared to meet Jesus face to face at the moment of our death.
We know that in life, the death rate is 100%. There’s no way around it. But the immortality rate is 100% as well. We are all eternal beings. The question is: Are we going to spend eternity united to the Lord in heaven? Or eternally separated from him in hell?
That’s what Advent is all about, reminding us that the Lord did come and will come again and that it is essential that we prepare ourselves to meet him every day, every hour, every minute of life.
We should strive to make our life a prayer, by praying without ceasing in all it’s wonderful forms, especially by seeking the intercession of our Lady in the rosary and reading scripture.
Dive deep into the word of God. Study the teachings of the Church continually—all the way back to Jesus and the Apostles. Deny yourself in ways both large and small, not just during Advent and Lent but every day—self-denial strengthens us, just like a hard workout does.
We should also go to Mass regularly, receiving the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ and his grace not just on Sunday, but every day if possible. We should take part in the Sacrament of Confession regularly, asking for and receiving not only the forgiveness of our sins but also the grace that strengthens us to overcome our weaknesses in the future. All these things and so many others help us to continually grow in our relationship with Jesus.
Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?
We need to be careful, because the enemy will try to make growing in our relationship with Jesus overly complicated if we allow him to. We can end up becoming overly scrupulous, doing a lot of busy work, and checking a lot of boxes instead of giving ourselves to the Lord—body, mind, and soul.
That’s what Jesus wants. He wants us, fully.
In the end, the solution to living the life God calls all of us to live is very simple. We have to make Jesus the most important person in our life. Not our spouse, or our children, or our parents, or job, or any other thing. Only Jesus.
He must become the most important thing in our life and the more we live into that, the more we will naturally be drawn to do the things that bring us closer and closer to him, until the day when we are face-to-face with the beautiful smile of our Lord and Savior in his glory.
Brother and Sisters, let us stand erect and raise our heads, because Jesus our redeemer is at hand.