This Advent, Unwrap the Gift of Jesus!Read Time 9 min

The hymn “The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns” is a fitting one for the liturgical season of Advent. Among some of the references to Sacred Scripture this hymn alludes to are: Acts 1:11, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven,” and Matthew 24:27, “For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” And the text concludes with the paraphrase of the church “Maranatha” or “Lord, come quickly.” (Rev 22:20)

Here are the lyrics of the hymn:

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light triumphant breaks;
When beauty gilds the eastern hills,
And life to joy awakes.

Not as of old, a little child
To bear, and fight, and die,
But crowned with glory like the sun,
That lights the morning sky.

Oh, brighter than the rising morn,
When He, victorious, rose,
And left the lonesome place of death,
Despite the rage of foes—

Oh, brighter than that glorious morn,
Shall this fair morning be,
When Christ, our King, in beauty comes,
And we His face shall see!

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And earth’s dark night is past—
Oh, haste the rising of that morn,
That day that aye shall last.

The King shall come when morning dawns,
And light and beauty brings:
Hail, Christ the Lord! Thy people pray,
Come quickly, King of kings!

Advent comes from ad-venire in Latin, or “to come to.” The name of the season reminds us of the ways we are anticipating Jesus’ coming to us. First, in the historical gift of the Incarnation and Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem. Next, the gift of Christ in our lives now through his blessings and coming to us in the sacramental life of the Church. And, finally, Jesus Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time when he will come and judge the living and the dead and make all things new!

“Joy,” said G.K. Chesterton, “is the secret of the Christian.” We have a chance to not keep a secret! We have a unique opportunity to proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord, that God has come, and we can share the joy that he will come again to bring freedom and joy. Unwrap the gift of Jesus before Christmas and share it with everyone.

After every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, after the Our Father, there is a brief prayer by the priest. It’s called a liturgical embolism. It forces us to stop, listen, and pray about what we are joyful and hopeful for right before we are about to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist. Here is the text:

Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As you recall, at Mass, the people conclude the prayer by acclaiming “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.” The Eucharist we celebrate and share is a pledge of immortality to come as it feeds and nourishes us today to live in accord with the ways of God.

In the gift of Jesus, what we receive sacramentally in the Most Blessed Sacrament is meant to help recognize all of the ways he comes to us and forms the Christian life.

During this Advent, invite the Most Blessed Ever Virgin Mary who held the baby Jesus in her arms and after his Death on the cross to help you unwrap the gift of Jesus in your own life. Turn to her thankful hymn of praise to God at the Visitation:

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age
to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones
but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things;
the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)

At the very end of end of Mass after we have received the Body and Blood of Christ and have been incorporated more profoundly into the Mystical Body, we are nourished, emboldened and urged to share the gift and joy of the Gospel as we are sent out to proclaim the Good News of salvation: “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” We are reminded that the king shall come when morning dawns, and this is our great hope, but let’s not wait until the morning of Christmas or the end of time to realize the gift of Jesus we receive in the here and now of our lives. The Mass helps us to bring all of these appearances of Jesus, past and future, into the living present of our lives as Christians. Come quickly, King of kings!