The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
The idea of Jesus’ second coming is something I didn’t really wrestle with until the more recent years of my life. We hear this phrase often growing up, and even recite it at Mass every week during the Nicene Creed: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” When this topic came up at a Bible study several years ago, I was forced to reconcile the fact that despite reciting this line every week since childhood, I didn’t actually know if I truly believed Jesus would come and walk on this earth again.
A recent homily reminded me of something I hadn’t heard in a while - that we, all the baptized, are priests in God’s kingdom. Not priests in the ministerial sense, but members of the universal priesthood that God established. Much like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ first coming, the opportunity lies with us to prepare the way for his second. Both in our own hearts, and in the lives of others we encounter each day. We are called to be these priests every day.
And if that’s the case, here are some questions to consider: Do I speak boldly about my faith and what I believe? Do I share these difficult-sounding truths with others, even when it may seem awkward or out of place? Do I really believe that Jesus is coming again? Am I willing to live each day as if that could be tomorrow?
These may be tough questions to ask ourselves and really come to terms with, but the truths of our faith are not always easy. In this Advent season of hope, we should ponder that which we are actually hoping for- Jesus to come again. But, if we are truly hopeful that this day is coming, we also must be ready for it.
I pray that this Advent season, perhaps more than any before, we each take time to ask ourselves these hard questions. I pray this will lead us to a greater hope and longing for what is to come, while living more meaningfully in the present.
Nick Balser is a husband, father, finance professional and Texan living in Denver, Colorado. When not working or playing/watching sports, Nick and his family love escaping to the mountains in their RV, seeking adventures of any kind.