Come, Lord Jesus!
The Three Comings of Christ
by Timothy M. Dolan

Christ comes now in mystery!

They missed Him at Bethlehem. They ignored Him at Nazareth. They misunderstood and chased Him away in Galilee. They put Him to death in Jerusalem — and we do, too. We do the same today as we miss His coming in mystery. Remember that chant of the angels to the shepherds that first Christmas in Bethlehem. The angels sang out, “For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

Well, my dear friends in Christ, today and every day is born a Savior, and He is Christ the Lord. It’s almost become a cliché that we say, “Boy, wouldn’t it be great if Christmas could continue all year?” Well, it does — because every moment, every day, Christ can be reborn in our hearts, as we recognize His coming in mystery.

Today — now — is born a Savior, for you, as Christ comes in mystery! Advent is the time to watch for His coming, and to recognize Him with faith. The problem’s not that Christ is not coming. The challenge is that we don’t recognize Him because we’ve been desensitized to His arrival, to His Advent, to His coming in our lives. Yet Christ comes in mystery day in and day out. Advent is an opportunity to re-sensitize our faith so that we’re able to sense His coming in the very plain, ordinary ways of life and in the mysteries of our faith.

Christ’s Threefold Coming

So there you have Our Lord’s threefold coming. The Lord came to us in history, as the Holy Infant of Bethlehem. He comes to us now in mystery, and He will come at the end of time in majesty.

During this first week of the Advent season, think about the three comings of Christ.

  • Is your faith such that you feel you need to renew the Lord’s historical coming, to be renewed in the reality of His Incarnation and what that means to you? Then spend this season preparing for the coming of Christ in history, thinking about the reality that you need a Savior and that God has answered His sacred promise.
  • Perhaps you have not been living your life sub specie aeternitatis, “under the aspect of eternity,” with a focus on how your actions will have repercussions for all eternity, and that you need to prepare for the coming of Christ in majesty. Plan to celebrate the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a firm commitment to reform your life and to live “under the aspect of eternity,” with your eyes focused on the coming of Christ in majesty.
  • Have you stopped finding Christ in the present? Seek Him out. Spend time in Eucharistic adoration, attending daily Mass, doing acts of charity, and expect to experience His coming in mystery.

You’re ready now to use Advent to think about the triple coming of Christ in history, mystery, and majesty.

Come, Lord Jesus!

There is a beautiful traditional prayer for the Season of Advent. It is a prayer that is found in the New Testament and in an ancient document of the early Church called the Didache. It is a simple prayer, but one that can be prayed anytime:

“Come, Lord Jesus!”

Repeat this prayer often during this Season of Advent and you will recognize with the eyes of faith that, in praying it sincerely, Our Lord has already answered it, will answer it, and will answer it again.

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).