Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

If you were to ask a sports coach, director of a play or musical, or the conductor of an orchestra, “What is the most important time before a performance?” they would all probably tell us that it is in the preparation. It is there where the mistakes are ironed out, the talent is challenged to elevate to the next level, and the participants are called to envision the best they have to offer.

I believe it is also important that the liturgical season of Advent is viewed as our preparation to receive the Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas. During the Advent season, we try to iron out the mistakes. Many live in a world that views faith as something you should do on the weekend if you have the time; it’s a social thing. Rarely do we see ourselves in the daily struggle to witness to the faith and engage in the evangelization of our neighbors.

Advent challenges us to elevate our practice of the faith. Have we matured in our knowledge of the faith, or did our understanding of the Church’s teachings end in the religious education classes of our youth? Does our prayer life reflect a person who knows the Lord Jesus? What does it mean to view Jesus as my friend? When and where have we put our commitment to the faith in view of the public? All of these elevate our public profession and demand growth.

During Advent, do we envision ourselves as saints? This is not “egotistical”; it’s a vocation that we are all called to embrace. It is a life of holiness. Am I prepared to assume my citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven? What identification will I be able to use to demonstrate that I belong to God?

Advent prepares us to meet Jesus and celebrate the great mystery of the “Incarnation,” the Word made flesh. This is the Son of God. Christmas is our celebration of “God with us.”

Although Advent is the preparation for Christmas and the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, we must also prepare for two other comings of Jesus. He will come for us at the time when we least expect it. In a blink of an eye, we will be standing before the Lord Jesus. We prepare now and are in a mode of constant readiness. This judgement will demand from each of us an individual accounting of our actions in this world.

There will also be a second coming of Jesus. This is the final judgement of the world. He promised that He would prepare a place for us and return to take us with Him. At His Ascension, the angel said that He would return: “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) We do not know that exact time, but it will happen.

Until then, we must prepare ourselves by leading lives worthy of our baptismal commitment and LOVE ONE ANOTHER. 
 

Note: This blog originally appeared as the November 30, 2021 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.