John 18:33b-37
The Coming of the Lord 
by Rev. Robert J. Wagner
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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John wrote to show that Christ was
the Messiah, the Divine Son of God.

Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?"  Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.  What have you done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.  If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, my kingdom is not here."  So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?"  Jesus answered, "You say I am a king.  For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

The sun and moon go dark. Stars fall from the sky. The powers of heaven quake.

Jesus tells us that these signs will accompany His second coming. His description of the upheaval of the natural world reminds us of the events that were recorded at the moment Jesus died on Calvary: “The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (cf. Mt 27:51-52). In these two moments, the Crucifixion and the second coming, God’s action disrupts our world. The grandeur of the world — the sun, the stars, the clouds, the earth — is rendered useless by the sanctifying work of Jesus.

Understandably, we are overcome with fear and awe when confronted with this imagery. Our desire is that the natural world remain calm and ordered, for that is when we are safe. But when we imagine the sun and moon darkened, stars falling from the sky and the heavens quaking, we understand just how powerful Our Lord is. He is the One through Whom all things came to be (cf. Jn 1:3), and everything, from the grain of sand on the seashore to the largest planet in the universe, is subject to Him.

The imagery that accompanies the second coming shocks us out of our everyday thoughts and actions, which is needed, for too easily we fall into stagnancy when thinking about meeting the Lord. Jesus spoke of His second coming two thousand years ago, and at this point in time, we have convinced ourselves that the Triumphant Lord is not going to appear to us any time soon. We take tomorrow for granted, despite the warning that He will arrive at an hour that no one knows.

How would life be different if we knew the Master was coming at any moment? No doubt, we would strive to be prepared to meet Him at all times. This is the attitude of the disciple of Christ, who is warned time and time again by Jesus not to slumber, but to be awake; the Bridegroom is coming.

This does not mean that we stop planning for tomorrow. We must continue to be active and organized Christians. What it does mean, however, is that we place an emphasis on the quality of our spiritual lives, that is, our relationship with the Triune God. For those of us who have allowed ourselves to fall into grave sin, we must seek God’s mercy in the sacrament of penance, and then take efforts to avoid that temptation, whatever it is, in the future. In this way, we remain prepared.

In addition to confession, we must develop the practice of a daily examination of conscience, to set aside time each day to review how we have fared in our efforts to live as Christians. It is through this examination that we come to know the ways the evil one tempts us, and once we know them, we can pray for strength in those moments of temptation and plan our means of avoiding them. In this way, we prepare ourselves by maintaining souls that are clean and ready to receive Jesus.

Another means of preparing ourselves is prayer, for it is in prayer that we unite ourselves to Our Triune God, speaking to Him as well as listening to Him. It is in prayer that we grow to know and love God and find peace in His divine will for us. Without prayer, we are more prone to frustration when God’s will is not aligned with ours. With prayer, we can more easily accept the triumphs and crosses of each day knowing they are part of the plan God has designed for us. This prayerful and peaceful approach allows us to remain prepared to encounter Jesus.

While the imagery of the second coming may seem frightening, we must remember that God is love. His desire is to take us to Himself when He comes in His glory. Thus, in this life, He offers us His grace and His forgiveness that we may be ready for greet Him, whenever He comes.

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