Despite all disturbances

Today, the Second Sunday of Advent, we focus on the theme of "Peace," after the theme of "Hope" on the First Sunday of Advent last week.

With the recent incidents of violence, one would ask, where is peace, or is there peace among and within us?

Last Sunday, we were shocked by the news of the explosion at the Mindanao State University gymnasium in Marawi City, where four people were killed and many others were wounded.

Another incident occurred in Antique, where a bus fell off a ravine, killing more than 20 passengers and injuring several others.

Today, we are all reminded that Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, has brought God's peace into our midst, bringing unto us all the peace, hope, joy and love He promised.

If our attitude and behavior had been like those of the people of God in the past — the Israelites and the people of Judah who did not listen to the Lord, disobeyed Him, and abandoned His Law and commandments — we may be caught unprepared and unaware of when the Lord will come again in a sudden surprise. We must account for our failure to obey Him for our wrongdoings and wickedness.

Some people focus more on worldly temptations, pleasures, and coercions, and that's why we forget the true essence of Christmas.

Many of us have not experienced true peace because we have often distanced ourselves from God and sought satisfaction and fulfillment by various worldly means and attachments, which cannot bring us true, lasting peace, satisfaction and joy.

It is in the Lord alone that we may find this true and lasting peace, and, hence, this is why, today, let us all reflect on our lives, how we have lived it, and how we have journeyed through this season of Advent so far.                                                                                                                                                                                

If our Christmas preparations have been mostly about ourselves and all the celebrations and festivities, we would want to refocus our attention again on Christ, the very reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Without Christ, there can be no Christmas, and without Him and all He has done for us, none of us could afford to rejoice, be happy, or be at peace.

If we follow the way the secular world often celebrates Christmas, with all the excessive marketing and the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, very soon we will realize that after all the celebrations have ended, we still feel empty and cold inside, and all our celebrations done without proper focus and understanding may even bring us more problems and worries rather than peace and joy.

That is why we should use this Advent period to truly center ourselves and our lives again on the Lord, our God and Savior.

Everything we do and say must be filled with true faith and dedication to Him. Let us proclaim Him and His Good News to all men.

As witnesses of His love and grace, we proclaim His peace, hope, joy, and love to everyone around us, our families, and even strangers and acquaintances that we encounter in life.

Advent comes from the Latin word "Adventus," which means the onset, the coming, or the appearance of something great; in Greek, it is "Parousia." Both Adventus and Parousia have that additional meaning and interpretation of the Second Coming of Christ, marking our expectation of the coming Kingdom of Our Lord.

Therefore, in this season of Advent, all of us must keep well in mind and remember that we are also preparing ourselves not just to celebrate a joyful event of the past but, even more importantly, what the Lord has done through His Son, Jesus Christ, in saving us from destruction and damnation. Thus, all of us should prepare for His Second Coming, when He will return to judge the whole world.