I always feel strangely conflicted at this time of year. On the one hand, we are into the third week of Advent, just having celebrated Gaudete Sunday—which translates to “Rejoice” Sunday from the Latin. We are gearing up for Christmas, one of the most joyful celebrations of the year as we remember Christ’s birth.
On the other hand, we are into (depending on where you are) the depths of another bleak winter. As I write this from England where the days are currently short, cold and dark, please forgive me for straying from the spirit of the happy season which we are about to enter. However, I do think it’s relevant to contemplate not just Christ’s first coming at this time of year, but also his second, the one at the end of time.
