Reflection 68: The Church Is Stirring: Living Ready for Christ’s Return

Over the past few years, I have noticed something powerful happening.

More people are returning to Christianity. More people are entering the Catholic Church. More people are searching for truth, purpose, and something deeper than what the world can offer.

To me, it feels like the Church is stirring awake.

I believe God is moving in hearts. I believe He is calling His children back to Him and reminding us of His goodness, mercy, and truth. In a world filled with confusion, anxiety, division, and distraction, people are beginning to realize that nothing in this world truly satisfies apart from God.

At the same time, there are many voices claiming that these are signs of the end times and that Christ’s second coming must be near. But the reality is, every generation has thought that. Every generation has tried to create timelines, predictions, and theories about when Jesus will return.

Scripture is clear: no one knows the day or the hour.

In The Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us to stay awake and be prepared. In The Book of Revelation, we are reminded that God’s timing is not ours. And throughout Scripture, we are called to wait with hope, faith, and expectation.

We are not meant to obsess over dates. We are meant to live ready.

That means living as though Christ could return tomorrow.

It means pursuing holiness now. Loving others now. Repenting now. Serving now. Forgiving now. Sharing the Gospel now.

Too often, we get consumed by the distractions of the world—politics, materialism, entertainment, social status, fear, anxiety, and comfort. But none of those things will matter when we stand before God.

What will matter is whether we loved Him. Whether we trusted Him. Whether we followed Him.

My family and I have been reflecting deeply on this lately. We want to live prepared—not out of fear, but out of faith. We do not want to drift through life spiritually asleep or lukewarm. We want to remain rooted in Christ and faithful to what He has called us to do.

And part of that faithfulness is recognizing the seriousness of sin.

God is infinitely loving, merciful, and compassionate. His grace is beyond anything we deserve. But grace is not permission to stay comfortable in habitual sin while assuming repentance can always wait until later.

True repentance requires a willing heart. It requires humility and the desire to be transformed.

The fear of the Lord is not something negative. Scripture speaks of it as the beginning of wisdom. A healthy fear of God reminds us that our choices matter, our souls matter, and eternity matters.

That fear should not drive us into despair. It should drive us toward holiness. Toward deeper relationship. Toward surrender.

Because Christianity is not just about believing in God intellectually. It is about knowing Him personally and allowing that relationship to change the way we live.

So instead of getting caught up in predictions about the end times, I believe we should focus on something simpler and more important:

Stay awake.
Stay faithful.
Stay prayerful.

Live each day in a way that would make you unafraid to meet Christ face to face.

Because whether He returns tomorrow or a thousand years from now, our calling remains the same.

Be ready.