Come, Lord, Jesus ...

You are not signed in as a Premium user; you are viewing the free version of this program. Premium users have access to full-length programs with limited commercials and receive a 10% discount in the store! Sign up for only one day for the low cost of $1.99. Click the button below.

See All Plans

By Mary Walker

"O Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes and our land to the coming of Jesus, Your Divine Son."

This prayer, written at the charge of our Blessed Mother, begins with a request that coincides with our prayers during this Advent season. We sing "Maranatha" and ask Our Lord and Savior to come. In Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, he gives us a better understanding of the two meanings this word can have:

An Aramaic expression occurring in St. Paul (I Corinthians 16:22) in the verse "If anyone does not love the Lord, a curse on him. Maran atha." The Christian Fathers understood the term to mean "Our Lord has come." But more probably it means what St. John has at the close of the New Testament, "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).

Interestingly, the word has two meanings, which, taken together, remind us that during Advent, God is with us: When we receive His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist, He is present with us. "Our Lord has come." When the Advent season begins, we are anticipating His arrival, as St. John reminds us in the New Testament, and we pray, "Come, Lord Jesus."

If we take what the word means in the book of Revelation, we anticipate the coming of the Christ Child, and during this Advent season, we wait with our Blessed Mother, preparing a place in our hearts and our homes. Through Her, we find that the best way to "prepare a way for the Lord Jesus" is to amend our lives to be more God-centered, praying that we may do His will throughout the days and weeks leading to His birth in Bethlehem, preparing for His arrival in our souls at Christmas, when we receive Him in the Eucharist on that day.

Are we finding ways to prepare our hearts and homes, our families, for the coming of the Lord? We must trust that our prayers will be answered if we are praying for conversions, but surely we cannot think that we are here only to pray. We must also evangelize!

How do we begin evangelizing people that may not be open to a discussion about the truth of the Catholic faith? We evangelize through our holy example. It is not simply by faith and understanding that we, ourselves, will merit Heaven. It is through our example of love.

How well do we love the people we encounter every day? Are we patient? Are we kind? Are we self-serving? Are we quick to judge? Have we put forth our best effort to bring peace to our families by our love, first, of each person in our family? Have we forgiven as we ask Our Beloved Lord to forgive us when we enter into the sacrament of reconciliation? Do we act in a way that brings Christ to those around us?

1 Corinthians 13 describes Who God is. We must, like our Blessed Mother, bring Christ, Our Lord God, to others.

The Prayer to the Immaculate Conception continues:

Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with Your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and Your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, Your children of America, as Your instruments in bringing peace among men and nations. Work Your miracles of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed and sanctifies us.

As we continue to pray for the bishops of the United States to consecrate our nation to the Immaculate Conception, we could also spend these last two weeks of Advent committing ourselves again to bringing love — bringing Christ — to the world.

That is our daily challenge as Catholics. Love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul; and then, too, love our neighbors as ourselves.

Have a news tip? Submit news to our tip line.

We rely on you to support our news reporting. Please donate today.