"Suddenly, there will come to the Temple of the Lord whom you seek."

God comes in his own time and place. He comes "suddenly" unexpectedly. During his public life, Jesus taught us that we do not know the time of the coming of the Son of Man, whether at our own death or in judgement at the end of the world.

The word "suddenly" implies an element of surprise. For several centuries before John the Baptist and Jesus were born, there had been no true prophet or leader in Israel.

So, people were excited when John appeared preaching a baptism of repentance. They wondered if he could be the Messiah. In their different ways, the Gospels affirm that John was not the Messiah, but only a witness to the coming of the Messiah, the true light of the world.

The Messiah came at God's chosen time and in God's chosen place. There is an implicit call for us to keep an open mind and heart in the growth of our spiritual lives. God continually gives us the graces that we need and then, when we least expect it or even understand what is happening, God may provide us with special graces, consoling us with growth in our faith, our hope and our love.