Longing for Christ’s Return

From Dan Conway’s The Good Steward, November 2004

The coming of God’s son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the “First Covenant.” He announces him through the mouths of the prophets who succeeded one another in Israel. Moreover, he awakens in the hearts of the pagans a dim expectation of this coming. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #522)

Each year during Advent, the Church reenacts the Old Testament story of humanity’s longing for Christ. This reliving of the experience of the Jewish people is not simply a remembrance of things past. It is also a dynamic expression of the longing for Christ that is embedded in every human heart — now and always, until he comes again in glory.

The themes of the Advent liturgy do not strike us as outmoded. In fact, there is a strange immediacy about the fervent desire for peace, for consolation, for harmony among nations and peoples, and for salvation from our enemies (and from our worst selves) that is repeated throughout this season of hope. We wait in joyful hope for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ. We wait until he comes again because we are woefully incomplete without him. Because our world is a cold and cruel place without his saving grace.

So, we cry: Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Fill our hearts with the power of your love. Save us from ourselves. Heal our brokenness. Take away our burdens. Help us to love one another and to work together to build up your kingdom. We long for you, and we wait for your coming again in glory …

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