Joke: One Sunday after church, a mother was talking to her young daughter. She told her daughter that, according to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth someday. "When is he coming back?" the daughter asked. "I don't know," replied the mother. The little girl asked, "Can't you google it on the Internet?"

We can google a lot of things online nowadays, but we cannot google for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But if we google to see how to prepare ourselves in waiting for the second coming of the Lord, there are many ways to prepare. In light of all today’s readings, we can summarize three ways of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The first way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be aware of what might numb our heart, mind, and soul not to conduct our lives according to God’s teaching and the Church’s teaching. What might numb our hearts, minds, and souls is what it called “carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch u by surprise like a trap” that Saint Luke repeated Jesus’ teaching reported in today’s Gospel.

Does it sound familiar to us? Have we had to live in Jesus’ time to experience carousing drunkenness and anxieties? Carousing from hunger is still happening in many parts of the world, especially in poor and third-world countries. Many people still live in poverty. We might not be struggling with poverty since we are living in the blessed land, but we might be carousing, not from alcohol but the lustful eyes with all kinds of impure images so available online. Everything and anything is available on any electronic device such as an iPhone, iPad, etc. Impure images might carouse us and fill our minds with images that we have no control to deliver into action.

In the same way, using drugs such as alcohol, if we use in excess, we might not be able to control our thoughts and actions. Using drugs in excess produces the terms we call, “DWI” driving while intoxicated or impaired, or “DUI”, driving under the influence. Do you know what happens when the cops catch you driving under DWI or DUI? You can only prepare to pay for the ticket and not be able to prepare for the second coming of the Lord.

What is about anxieties? Too many worries in our daily lives might result in depression and stress that might numb our minds to lose control as well. So, how can we prepare for the second coming of the Lord if it’s not sensitive to what might numb our hearts, minds, and souls by avoiding carousing, drunkenness, and anxiety?

The second way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to “Be vigilant at all times and pray,” mentioned in today’s Gospel, “that you have the strength to escape the tribulations.” We might not have a problem praying, but what do we pray for? Do we pray for our readiness when the Lord comes to call us? Or do we pray to hit the jackpot? Let me reassure you, as far as I know, there has not been a single Catholic who ever hits the jackpot. How do I know? It’s never been reported Catholics donated from hitting the jackpot. What do we pray for? How many young and healthy people have ever prayed for a peaceful and happy death?

The third way of preparing for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is to love one another. Saint Paul prayed in today’s second reading, taken from his letter to the Thessalonian community, saying, “May the Lord make you increase your love for one another and all to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.” How do we love one another? Do we love those who love us? Do we love those who don’t even love us? Do we love those who hurt us or harm us? Do we love our parents when they do not listen to us? Do not give us what we want? Do not have time for us? What should we do so to love one another? How should we love one another? Are we ready for a peaceful and happy meeting with the Lord when he comes?

Advent season is a time for us to prepare ourselves to celebrate the birth of the Savior, and it is a time for us to prepare ourselves to meet him when he comes to call us out of this world. How is your readiness? What would you expect when he comes? Would you prepare a gift to celebrate his birthday this year? If you prepare a gift for Baby Jesus this year, what would it be? One way to prepare a gift for Jesus’ birthday is to come to reconcile with God and with one another on Monday, December 9, at 6:30 PM with several priests coming to help us. The decision is yours.