Second Week of Advent

I am feeling deliquent. I am proud to be a St Blogger but yet its already the second week of Advent and I have remained silent.
I am listening to O Come O Come Emmanuel as I write this. I was thinking about the meaning of the words. "Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel" Just as Israel was and still is His chosen people, we also are a chosen people and indeed we can think of ourselves as the new Israel. Of course, as Christ promised (Matthew 28:20, among other places) He has never left us. We need look no further than the nearest Tabernacle to know that Christ still dwells among us body, blood, soul and divinity.
Nonetheless, we look forward (especially at this time of year) to Christ's return in all His glory and majesty. Every time Mass is celebrated we repeat the same words used by the Ancient Jews of Jerusalem to greet Jesus. "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." Ever time I hear those words I picture our Lord riding His donkey down the aisle toward the altar to be present for the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist. That's just me, but I also wonder from time to time about Him riding back to us, the new Israel, but this time He returns in glory to establish peace and justice. As a Soldier, I long for peace more than most. And we know that someday, He will return to do just that. Although, somehow I think He'll forgo the donkey the second time.
The point though, is that as Christians we look not so much backward to the Birth of Christ some 2000 years ago. We look forward to that unknown day when He shall return in all His glory and majesty. That day when the lion shall lay down with the lamb and the child shall play with the asp.
Marana Tha!