Advent

Advent is a time of two-fold preparation. We first prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ when the light came into the world. When the Word came to dwell among us, he did so in a whisper. He was not flanked by legions of the heavenly hosts or announced by a mighty trumpet blast. He came in the hush of a cold winter night, born of a virgin, surrounded by farm animals and beasts of burden, beneath the humble glow of the Christmas star. His palace was a stable and his throne was a manager, accessible to even the poorest of the poor. He came as the humblest among us so as to raise all of us from the squalor of old to new life. We celebrate this time with lights and trees and wreaths, joy-filled songs, food and merriment, and gifts wrapped in colorful paper.

But amid the celebration and festive gatherings we are also to prepare to welcome him back in his second coming. This is the beginning of our liturgical year and instead of readings on the birth of Jesus we are reminded of the end of days. On the first day of the year, we talk about the last day of time. The Church in her wisdom begins by showing us where we are going and then spends the rest of the year showing us the right way to get there. Jesus reminds us that the end will come like a thief in the night and no one knows the hour of his return. There are only two guarantees in this life. Either Jesus is coming back to meet us in this life or we will go to meet him in the next. We are given our time on earth to prepare ourselves to stand before our creator and give an accounting of our lives.

The Church teaches that when we die, we go on to our particular judgement. What that looks like no one knows, but if we die in friendship with Jesus, we have nothing to fear. We have allegories of the tunnel of light, of angels coming to get us, or Jesus extending his hand to us. We read in the Old Testament that Elijah was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. There is much theological speculation on what happens. This is mine.

When we die, we will go before our Lord to render an accounting of our lives. As we stand before Jesus, I believe he will ask us only one simple question. In what is known as the redemption of Peter, Jesus asks Peter this one question.

“Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” He said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.” – John 21: 15-17

Jesus does not just ask if we love him, but if we love him with perfect, sacrificial love. Most of us are like Peter. We cannot say that we love Jesus perfectly. Luckily, we have a Lord who will meet us where we are at, as he did with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. As long as we can say that we love the Lord at some level we are bound for heaven. We are still not perfect, so we cannot enter heaven directly, for nothing imperfect can stand in the presence of the Father. We enter into a state of purgation that the Catholic Church has named purgatory. Purgatory is a place where we further develop into the person we were created to become. We are not instantly perfected upon our deaths as many non-Catholic Christians believe. Love cannot be forced and God will not force someone into perfection without their cooperation.

There are four doorways that all people must pass through; conception, birth, death, and eternity. Each of these doorways brings with it a new stage in our development. Passing from one stage to another is like a birth, of sorts. We go from being what we were to becoming more.

Life does not begin at conception. Life began with creation. We were all created in the mind of God when he created man. In Jeremiah 1:5 we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” All of us existed in the mind of God from the very instant of creation. Conception is when life manifests itself in this world. After our conception we spend the next nine months developing our bodies.

When we are fully formed in our mothers’ wombs we pass through the doorway of birth and begin to develop our minds. We are born with no knowledge of who God is. Instead, we are given an unquenchable desire to know our creator. The image and likeness we were created in has been veiled by original sin. We are given our time on earth to reclaim that image. We were created in the image of perfect, sacrificial love. We are given our time here to learn to love the way God loves. To come to know and love God and to love the way God loves is the true purpose of life.

Upon the end of our time here on earth we will pass through the doorway of death. It is then that we will stand before Jesus and have to render an accounting of how we spent our lives. Jesus will ask us the same question he asked Peter. Do you love me? If we can answer that question with a yes at any level we are bound for heaven. Those who answer with a “No, I love myself.” Will pass through the final doorway into eternity where they will spend all of eternity in hell, totally separated from the love of God.

Know that saying yes to the question of loving Jesus will come with come challenges. The devil is the great accuser and will stand ready to accuse you of any unrepentant sins you may have. His goal is simple. He wants to prove that you love yourself more than you love Jesus. If he can do that you are his for all eternity. But Jesus is his own best advocate. If you answer yes to his question of love, he is going to ask that you prove your love for him.

I do not believe that we stand before Jesus alone in our judgement. I believe that all those you loved in this life, all those you brought to know Jesus along the way, all those you showed love to in your care for them, all these people stand with us as proof to the love we claim to have for Christ. Woe to the person who stands alone for hell is their most likely destination.

Those of us who do not love the Lord perfectly, but love him at some level, will have to undergo further purification. Purgatory is the place where we develop our souls into the persons we will be for the rest of eternity. It is said that the fires of purgatory are the fires of God’s love where all that holds us to this life will be burned away until only the person we were created to be remains. Once we reach that state of perfection we can pass through the last doorway into eternal life with God in heaven.

Passing through the doorway of conception we begin to develop our bodies. Passing through the doorway of birth we continue to develop our bodies and begin to develop our minds. Passing through the doorway of death we finish developing our souls and finally passing through the doorway of eternity we return to God where we can see him face to face, for we will be like him.

We have been given this life to learn to love the way God loves. Advent reminds us of our need to prepare ourselves to meet our Lord, who we welcome into our hearts as an innocent baby on Christmas morning.