The first coming occurs at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and it announces a new reality, that a new kingdom is breaking into the everyday of our lives and with the eyes of our hearts opened we should be able to see the second coming which is Christ in us and in all we meet. Bernard of Clairvaux considered this the sacrament of the presence of God in the mysterious work of Christ working through his people the church, preparing for a final fully realized Kingdom. Always Advent.
In most Christian theology, we talk about the two comings of Christ and something that happens at the end of the year. Bernard of Clairvaux, way back in the 11th Century, introduced the idea of three comings. It might help us to understand this by seeing that the Christian Calendar begins in December with Advent and it isn’t just a preparation for Christmas and the birth of Jesus but the beginning of a new way of being.
The first coming occurs at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and it announces a new reality, that a new kingdom is breaking into the everyday of our lives and with the eyes of our hearts opened we should be able to see the second coming which is Christ in us and in all we meet. Bernard of Clairvaux considered this the sacrament of the presence of God in the mysterious work of Christ working through his people the church, preparing for a final fully realized Kingdom. Always Advent.
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