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Commentary on the Gospel – November 29, 2025
The Tribulation That Is Coming
Even though stores are already selling Christmas gifts and the streets have (far too early) begun to dress themselves in lights, we haven’t even entered Advent yet. So this early Christmas cheer is dimmed a bit today by the warning: “Prepare for the tribulation that is coming.” The truth is, tribulation is always coming—and always here. There will always be pain, hardship, financial stress, illness, worries about our young people, and the deaths of family and friends. The phone ringing in the middle of the night with bad news is always a possibility. And very often there is also the tribulation of enduring criticism and ridicule for our faith.
For this reason, it seems almost justified to wrap everything in announcements of light, joy, family feasts, and mountains of gifts. Or, even throughout the year, to chase endless entertainment—festivals, celebrations of every imaginable kind, even “Croquette Day.” We can drown out our legitimate concerns about what might happen, and what truly does happen. We distract ourselves, go on vacations, and intoxicate ourselves with amusements. Opportunities for this come constantly, often without our even looking for them. All this noise often dulls the interior light that points us toward true happiness.
But on the other side of the coin, the light of Christmas is in fact the truest of all. And it is eternal. So there is a deeper justification for the decorations, the lights, and the joyful noise. But we need to wait a little, and allow things to unfold in their proper time. Right now, it is likely time to look at tribulation with realism and accept it. And to prepare to endure it according to God’s will, knowing that beyond it lies Advent—the coming of the One who suffered tribulation in his own flesh, and also the glorious coming that announces salvation, that will wipe away every tear and destroy all suffering.
But if we refuse to look at tribulation now, the lights will be meaningless—because they will announce only emptiness, something without root or destination.