Open Reflections

Who is coming?

για Ελληνικά πατήστε εδώ

Last Sunday has probably passed unperceived, however it signals a new starting period for the Church called Advent. Among the Catholics in the Greek speaking world this period of time is named “the time of the Presence”.

In the Eastern Church the new liturgical year commences on 1st September, but in the Catholic Church it starts on the 4th Sunday before Christmas. It has been a long evolution through the centuries and the Church wishes to remind us that time is on our side.

The Christian memory is illumined by the mystery of the Incarnation of God in the person of Christ and this unique event sheds light upon the collective memory of all Christians throughout the world. The aim of the various feast days and periods in the cycle of the liturgical year is to help us turn towards the meaning of time, of the world and of our lives. Nothing happens randomly and meaninglessly.

Bad news and negative situations will always exist , but we must never allow them to undermine our way of viewing things. Why so? Because there is an amazing Presence always accompanying us!

This presence is God Himself who is coming; the Lord and Creator of the Universe is coming to meet us; the King of “all things visible and invisible” is eager to be with us. His coming was foretold before innumerable centuries through the prophets; he is the Babe in Bethlehem born in a dark world caught in between ignorance and sin. Jesus continually travelled the land of Palestine bringing the good news of the Gospel to all people; he is God’s mercy given up into the hands of men and suffering willingly in order to free us from our spiritual misery and blindness. Jesus Christ is also the Redeemer who is to come again; he will perfect and “finish” what he started on the first day of Creation. Everything will be restored, renewed and put in the place meant for in God ‘s eternal plan.

This is the pattern of our spiritual life: something begins, something develops and comes to fulfilment and then something new is added and so on.

So we have every reason to be optimistic and joyful, especially as we prepare to meet the One who has come, who is coming and who is to come again.

Happy Advent!

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