You might have waited for something unimportant or maybe for something as important as life or death. Sometimes we wait patiently. At other times we wait with great anxiety.

Advent is the Church’s season for waiting. While we wait, we recall that Jesus has already come as our Messiah. Yet our waiting continues. We wait for Christ to come to us again on Christmas in a renewed way. We believe that Jesus will come to us in majesty at the end of time.

Advent waiting requires our full attention and all of our patience. We must be willing to listen for his voice in all the noise and silence of our lives and to watch with eyes of faith for his face among the holiday crowds.

Jesus comes to us when we least expect him. We might hear Jesus in the merry greetings of friends and neighbors or in the anguished cry of the hungry and the hopeless. We might even stumble upon him in the silence of our own hearts, if only we trust in God’s promise.

Family Activity

	Explain that at the end of time Jesus Christ will come again to establish God’s kingdom forever.

	•		Have a family discussion, sharing ideas about the Second Coming of Christ. What might the event look like? How might it feel? How might we treat one another? How might we experience God in our midst? Assure the children that it will not be a time to be afraid.
	•		Share with family members that no one knows the answers to such questions for sure, but we do believe that it will be a time of great peace and justice for all people.

See the Liturgical Calendar on this site for additional information.
See also Catechist—Lent or Teacher—Lent for Liturgy.