We live in a culture that is obsessed with its own demise. Impending doom has become a prevailing hermeneutic of modern life, the lens through which we interpret the world. 

 

The media, whether it reports on climate, race relations, the pandemic, politics or the economy, always offers the same forecast: “We’re doomed.” 

 

We are told the world is one step away from unraveling. Hope is rare, and solutions have a cascade of unintended consequences, often worse than the initial problem. 

 

If reality was not threatening enough, we consume entertainment that fuels the anxiety. The most popular books, movies, video games and television series provide a deluge of apocalyptic and dystopian futures. 

 

Why does this constant discomforting echo of demise resonate with our society? Without the hope of salvation and new life in Christ, people are animated by the fear of loss. 

 

As we enter Advent, the readings from Mass sound similar. On the first Sunday of Advent, we heard Jesus say, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay … People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world … ” (Lk 21:25-26). Despite sounding like modern proclamations of doom, this reading could not be more different. 

 

The difference is Christ. A world that does not know Christ has everything to lose, while a world that knows Christ has everything to gain. The Advent readings are not about doom; they are about hope. 

 

Readings from the Old Testament that we hear on the third Sunday of Advent show this hope. They rejoice in God’s saving power despite being written after a period of great suffering and exile for Israel. “God indeed is my salvation; I am confident and unafraid. For the LORD is my strength and my might, and He has been my salvation.” (Is 12:2-3). 

 

Hoping in God is not wishful thinking like, “I hope the Cubs will win the World Series again.” Having hope in God is placing yourself in His hands and trusting that He will be faithful to His promises. The Advent readings give us confident hope that God will end suffering, death and evil. 

 

The Christian message is also different because our hope does not reside in scientists, politicians, or other people. Instead, it rests in God, the only one capable of delivering salvation. 

 

True salvation is not simply the elimination of material ailments or avoiding catastrophe. Salvation is when we are saved from sin and hell for eternal life with God.

 

It may seem odd that hope and apocalyptic images are intertwined in Scripture — until we consider that “apocalypse” is actually a wedding term, and not because of the arrival of “bridezilla” or the gaining of in-laws. Apocalypse literally means to “unveil.” 

 

The apocalypse is the moment when the bride’s veil is removed and her beauty is revealed to her husband. Likewise, the apocalypse described in Scripture is when the full glory of God will be unveiled. The veil between heaven and earth will be lifted. 

 

To those who love God, it will mean their supreme happiness. To the wicked, sin and death it will mean the end of their reign. 

 

Advent, a time dedicated to preparing our hearts, invites us to this moment of unveiling when we receive both the Christ-child and Christ at His second coming. 

 

Jesus exhorts us to remain “vigilant” and “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from … the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.” (Lk 21:36, 34-35). 

 

Even if the second coming does not occur in our life, we will have an end. One of the few certainties of life is that no one gets out of it alive. We do not know the hour of the Second Coming nor the day of our death (Mt 24:36). 

 

So now is the time to prepare to receive the bridegroom, Jesus. The world will continue to proclaim doom, but do not let it trouble your heart. We know God is faithful. We rejoice in the hope of salvation and joyfully anticipate the fulfilment of the promises of Advent. 

 

For more: Prayerfully read the Scriptures of Advent and contemplate the hope they offer.