sure and soon to come
Look "for the coming of the day of God and [try] to hasten it!" —2 Peter 3:12
When was the last time you thought about Jesus' final coming? When did you last consider the end of the world? Our Lord wants us to look for His final coming and always be ready for it (see Mt 25:13). Therefore, we should be thinking of it frequently.
Because of our love for Jesus, we are not depressed but excited when we think of His final coming. Therefore, we should be trying to hasten His coming by repenting, evangelizing, and interceding. Often we bide our time, procrastinating in our efforts to repent, evangelize, and intercede. We can be too "patient" with ourselves, thinking that we will always have tomorrow or next year. We, who are quite patient with our own efforts, are often at the same time impatient with God's seeming lack of progress. We wonder why God hasn't renewed our church, stopped abortion, and eliminated starvation. However, God delays because we haven't moved fast enough ourselves. The reason the Lord hasn't already come back is because "He wants none to perish but all to come to repentance" (2 Pt 3:9). Thus, if we repent and help others do the same, we will hasten His return.
"While waiting for this, make every effort to be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in His sight...our Lord's patience is directed toward salvation" (2 Pt 3:14-15). May our voices, hearts, and lives cry out: "Maranatha!" Come, Lord Jesus! (see Rv 22:20)
Prayer: Jesus, come back as soon as possible — even today.
Promise: "Their amazement at Him knew no bounds." —Mk 12:17
Praise: The king of Uganda, enraged at the refusal of some of his page boys to submit to his immoral demands, ordered his Christian servants to separate from the non-Christian ones. St. Charles Lwanga and fourteen other young men stepped forward, declared their loyalty to Jesus, and courageously endured martyrdom.
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 4, 2008
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