Today as we read this holy Gospel, how can we fail to see a reflection of our present time, which is increasingly fraught with threats and stained with blood? "On earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world" (Lk 21:25b-26a). The Second Coming of the Lord has often been depicted in the most terrifying ways possible, as seems to be the case in this Gospel, always under the shadow of fear.

However, is this truly the message the Gospel conveys to us today? Let us look closely at the final words: “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand" (Lk 21:28). The core message of these final days of the liturgical year is not fear, but rather the hope of a future liberation, a distinctly Christian hope of attaining the fullness of life with the Lord, in which our bodies and the world around us will also participate. The events described so dramatically are meant to signify, in a symbolic way, the participation of all creation in the Lord’s Second Coming, just as it participated in His first coming, most notably during His Passion, when the sky grew dark and the earth trembled. The cosmic dimension will not be abandoned at the end of time, for it is a dimension that has accompanied mankind ever since it entered Paradise.

Christian hope is not deceptive, for when these things begin to happen—as the Lord Himself tells us—"then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Lk 21:27). Let us not live in fear of the Lord’s second coming, His Parousia: but rather reflect upon the profound words of Saint Augustine, who, observing that Christians in his own time were fearful of the Lord’s return, asked: "How can the Bride be afraid of her Bridegroom?"