Posted on December 2, 2018 View all news
Today, with this First Sunday of Advent, we begin the Advent Season and a new liturgical year. As we begin our four week preparation for the birth of Christ, it is important to recall that Advent isn’t merely the preparation for the birth of Christ in history, but also a preparation for his coming to us in the present, and also in the future at the second coming. May we do well to always be prepared to welcome Christ, each and every day of the year. I challenge each of you to participate more regularly in the life of Church during Advent, be it through daily Mass or attendance at special events. We must be prepared to welcome Him at any time, may he not find us unprepared! Come Lord Jesus! I hope you find this Advent reflection by St. Bernard helpful!
“We know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible.
In the first coming he was seen on earth, dwelling among men; he himself testifies that they saw him and hated him. In the final coming all flesh will see the salvation of our God, and they will look on him whom they pierced. The intermediate coming is a hidden one; in it only the elect see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved. In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and majesty.
In case someone should think that what we say about this middle coming is sheer invention, listen to what our Lord himself says: If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. There is another passage of Scripture which reads: He who fears God will do good, but something further has been said about the one who loves, that is, that he will keep God’s word. Where is God’s word to be kept? Obviously in the heart, as the prophet says: I have hidden your words in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.
Keep God’s word in this way. Let it enter into your very being, let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and strength.
Because this coming lies between the other two, it is like a road on which we travel from the first coming to the last. In the first, Christ was our redemption; in the last, he will appear as our life; in this middle coming, he is our rest and consolation.
If you keep the word of God in this way, it will also keep you. The Son with the Father will come to you. The great Prophet who will build the new Jerusalem will come, the one who makes all things new. This coming will fulfill what is written: As we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, we shall also bear the likeness of the heavenly man. Just as Adam’s sin spread through all mankind and took hold of all, so Christ, who created and redeemed all, will glorify all, once he takes possession of all.” – St. Bernard of Clairvaux