Therefore thus I will do to you O Israel, because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel? – Amos 4:12
Members of the Catholic Church around the world will be observing the last Sunday of Advent on Sunday which brings an end to that season.
Advent is the annual season, which is the beginning of the Church’s year, which is observed on the four Sundays before Christmas. The church uses it as a form of preparation leading up to Christmas.
It gives each one of us once again time to reflect on our own life and mortality remembering that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ will come again, not as a King, but as a Judge to judge the living and the dead.
Therefore the preparation is very important, for the scriptures tell us that he will come like a thief in the night. For we are reminded by the prophet Malachi that the Almighty God will come suddenly to his temple.
“Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple, the messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant.
“But who will endure the day when he comes??Who will be able to survive when he appears??He will be like a strong soap, like a fire that refines metal. He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver, as a metal worker refines silver and gold.” (Malachi 3:2 and 3)
I am therefore appealing to all Barbadians and others to take some time out during those remaining days leading up to Christmas to find time for the Almighty God for our time is in the hand of the same Almighty.
Too often there are persons who get carried away with the sexual world – such as shopping, painting, cleaning, etc.
I am not saying that those things are not necessary, but too often people focus on them, rather than on the whole Christmas. For it should not be seen as shopping, but rather as a celebration of God’s gift to the world, His son, Jesus Christ.
Let us use these few last days of Advent to totally prepare ourselves for the second coming of Christ and do not find ourselves in the position of the five foolish virgins.
