THE SECOND COMING
We all
know that when we are sick and then regain our health, we feel a
sort of relief which we would not have experienced if we had
been always healthy. The second coming of Christ informs us that
the first coming was a basic coming for establishing the
kingdom, the second is to take away the kingdom. The second can
more powerful than the first one, as it signals reunification of
man with God.
The second coming of Christ our Bridegroom takes place daily in
good persons; indeed, it takes place frequently and repeatedly,
with new gifts and graces, in all those who prepare themselves
for it to the best of their ability. We do not intend to speak
here of a person's initial conversion or of the graces, which
were first bestowed when he turned from sin to virtue. Rather,
we wish to speak of a day-to-day increase in new gifts and new
virtues and of a present, daily coming of Christ our Bridegroom
into our soul... This is [a] coming of Christ our Bridegroom
which takes place daily with an increase in graces and new
gifts, for when a person receives any of the sacraments with a
humble heart and without placing any obstacle in the way of the
sacrament's effects, then he receives new gifts and an increase
of grace because of his humility and because of the mysterious
working of Christ in the sacraments... It is, then, another
coming of Christ our Bridegroom which is present to us every
day. We should reflect on it with a heart full of desire so that
it might take place in ourselves, for this coming is necessary
if we are to remain steadfast or go forward into eternal life.
