Long before Arnold Schwarzenegger famously told us that he would be back, Jesus said this to his followers. For the former this was a warning, while for the latter it was a promise, and the cause of all holy hope. So, for many years, the faithful have been waiting for the fulfillment of this sacred promise. As we wait, we wonder what we should be doing to make sure we are ready for this highly anticipated and life changing moment.

            Throughout his ministry Jesus explained the necessity of being ready for a moment and an event that will happen when we least expect it. His parables about the five foolish virgins, the man who built his house on sand, and the homeowner who knew when the thief was coming, are lessons about being ready. The bottom line of Jesus’s teaching is that since we do not know when he is coming back, we should make sure that we are always ready. We should have our priorities in order, we should be in a state of grace, we should know Jesus and  live our lives in such a way that he is able to know us. And then we wait…patiently!

            The waiting, however, would be so much easier if there were not so much competition for our attention. The waiting and the preparation for the return of Jesus would be our priority if there were not so many things, people, and ideas telling us that the easiest way to happiness is the best way. Our addiction to immediate gratification is constantly getting in the way of us remembering that ours is an exalted destiny that requires commitment and sacrifice to reach. We know that we will need to share in the cross if we wish to share in the resurrection.

            This does not mean that the life of Christians is a miserable existence. We need not absent ourselves from the fun around us. We need not shut ourselves off from the wonderful things that this world has to offer. Indeed, as St Irenaeus of Lyons tells us, “The glory of God is a life fully lived.”

            So, we remember that we are in the world, but we are not of the world. We remember that we are stewards of all that God gives us and that our possessions are to be used to glorify God. Christians know that our possessions, our wealth, our friends, and family, are given to us so that we will have what we need to serve the Lord. Keeping God as our priority, living the commandment of love that Jesus gives us, following the prodding of the Holy Spirit are all ways we can live fully the gift of life while keeping our eyes on the goal of living eternally with God. In other words, keeping God at the center of our lives is the way we prepare for the return of the Savior.

            As a college chaplain I was often asked by young couples how far could they go without committing a sin. My response to them was that if they would not do it in front of their parents then they should not do it in private. If we want to know if we are ready for the return of Jesus, we must ask ourselves, would I do what I am doing in front of Jesus? Would I want Jesus to witness the way I am living my life? If we honestly answer yes to these questions without delay, then at the very least we are headed in the right direction. If our answer is no, then we need to reassess what our priorities are and how we are living our life.

            Jesus’s promise to return is not meant to be something that scares us, or something that causes us to live rigidly or a joyless life. Instead, Jesus’s promise to return gives us reason to hope as we pursue our exalted destiny. Jesus’s promise to return reminds us that evil will never prevail. Jesus’s promise to return means that while we navigate through the sea of life, we are not fooled by fickle things that make promises they cannot fulfill. Instead, we build our lives on every promise of Jesus Christ and we joyfully prepare for that moment in time when he will come to restore us to paradise.