Daily Reflection Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Today concludes a long series of readings from Revelation written by St. John, which advise us of Jesus’s Second Coming and God’s final judgment. Today is also the last Friday before the beginning of Advent, a season of preparation for the first coming of Jesus. The Catholic Church does not require fasting during Advent, but if Jesus were truly coming for the second time this Christmas Day 2024, meaning our time on Earth would end, how might we prepare?

For me, that might look like replicating the method I find successful during Lent—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—to a significantly lesser extreme. During this time, Jesus calls us to seek holiness, and fasting is a great way to make myself more aware of my choices throughout the day and how they might affect my eternal life. I have a big sweet tooth, and one of my favorite traditions is having dessert on Friday nights to celebrate all the work I completed that past week. Giving up this tradition for three Fridays is a small, special way to not only remind myself of the sacrifice Jesus made for me on Good Friday but to also reflect on what other actions will bring me closer to Him. Did I pray that day? Is there someone I need to forgive? Did I make a plan to receive the Eucharist that weekend?

Advent starts this Sunday, December 1, and with each passing day, “the Kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:31). Let us pray for an open heart to hear how God is calling us closer to Him this Advent season.