For the Christian, it is good news to hear that this world will end. Earth is going to pass away and Jesus will come again.
This will signal the final triumph of good over evil and will bring all people to the mercy of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this belief.
On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history. (CCC 681)
However, we know neither the day nor the hour when Christ will come again. It could be today, or it could be thousands of years from now.
Christians over the centuries have prayed on a daily basis for Jesus to come again and to speed up his return. It is a prayer that finds its way into the Church’s liturgy and is straight from the Bible.
Christ’s reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled “with power and great glory” by the King’s return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ’s Passover. Until everything is subject to him, “until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God.” That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ’s return by saying to him: Marana tha! “Our Lord, come!”
This final prayer comes directly from the conclusion of the New Testament, “Come, Lord Jesus!“ (Revelation 22:20).
It is mentioned in the context of Jesus’ proclaiming, “Behold, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:6).
The prayer can be consoling to many as it reminds us that God will reign victorious at the end of time, bringing peace to the world that will endure for all eternity.
If the current state of the world creates any anxiety within you, pray that Jesus will not delay the day when all tears will be wiped away.
“Come, Lord Jesus!“
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