Winter sunrise at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph.
By Jake Geis
From our childhood, the secular culture has pounded the drumbeat of the coming apocalypse. First it was nuclear, then it was economic. Afterwards it was terrorism, and today it’s AI. It’s an obsession in the West—what will end us all and when will it happen? If there is a consistent theme, it’s “resistance is futile and hope is pointless.” That sure sounds like a message from the demons.
But these hyperboles underscore an important reality: There is a coming apocalypse, but it’s not the way we’ve been indoctrinated. It will be more subtle, more sudden, with results more glorious or cataclysmic, based on our individual decisions and merits. This is the one that Christ speaks of in Matthew 24:36-44, and he’s speaking to a specific group of people in this passage—the church militant.
What is the church militant?
At first glance, the term “church militant” elicits images of the Middle Ages, akin to the Knights Templar or St. Joan of Arc. Yet, Father Andrew Thuringer, parochial vicar and director of discipleship and evangelization of the Pastorate of the Visitation in the northwest portion of our diocese, explains the church militant is more contemporary.
“As Catholics, we profess that the Church is not just the community we pray with on Sunday,” Father Thuringer states. “We are part of a global, indeed universal Church. But this also includes all of those Christians that have gone before us. So we can talk about the ‘church triumphant,’ those Christians who are victorious with God in heaven. We pray for the ‘church suffering,’ those Christians who have died and are being purified in preparation for heaven.”
The last group, the one we are a part of, is the church militant. And as part of it, we have a specific call to action. “[The church militant are] Christians who are still ‘in the trenches’ during this life, striving to spread the Kingdom of God,” Father Thuringer explains.
While the term “church militant” has a martial connotation, it is not a rally cry for taking up physical arms. Father Thuringer says, “It is important to note that our major struggle is not against other people or earthly kingdoms, but against Satan and sin.”
We in the church militant are not isolated from the other portions of our Church. Father Thuringer likens our interaction with the church suffering and triumphant to how we interact with other people in our daily lives. “In your local parish, you are called to love and serve your fellow Christians, and hopefully you’re supported by them as well. In the same way, we are always in a relationship of faith with those Christians who have gone before us.
“We look toward the church triumphant as examples and intercessors as we follow in their footsteps,” Father Thuringer continued. “Likewise, we are called to pray and intercede for those in purgatory. We can offer prayers, Masses and indulgences for our brothers and sisters who are preparing to enter into heavenly glory.”
Vigilance of the church militant
One can consider each section of the Church as people on a journey to God. A Catholic progresses from this life in the church militant to the next in the church triumphant, perhaps by way of the church suffering. Yet, we do not captain this voyage and don’t know when we will take the next step forward.
As Father Thuringer describes, Advent’s purpose is to remind us that, as members of the church militant, we must remain on watch for what comes next. “I think a lot of people miss that Advent is not only about the birth of Jesus. Advent means ‘coming towards or arriving.’ During this beautiful season, we contemplate and prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his coming to us every day in the Eucharist, and his final coming at the end of time.”
Underscoring how this coming towards is not an individual path but one for the entire church militant, Father Thuringer points out how this season trains our focus on Christ’s return.
“I’d invite you to pay attention to just how many of our Sunday readings during this season focus on the final judgment,” he says. “Since much of Advent focuses on our preparation for the second coming, it makes sense that this is a time for us to embrace our identity as the church militant. What is our purpose in this life? What are our marching orders? What will God’s final victory look like? These are all things we are invited to contemplate during Advent.”
Reflecting on our purpose inspires us to embrace Advent’s call to watch: to remain vigilant for the time when we will be forced to reckon with the decisions we’ve made in life, whether that is at our death or Christ’s final coming. While there is a healthy fear associated with this impending event, Father Thuringer expounds on how we shouldn’t be terrified at the prospect of our final judgement.
“I can’t help but think about a particular Hebrew word in the Old Testament: Ezer (עֵזֶר),” he says. “This word is translated as ‘help’ or ‘helper,’ but it carries so much more meaning. Sometimes this term is used to describe military reinforcements, but it is used most often to describe God.”
This term dovetails into the notion of a church militant. “Psalm 33:20 says, ‘Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield,’” Father Thuringer quotes. “So it was a common meditation for the ancient Jews to see God as the reinforcement who would come and save the day for his people. For modern-day Catholics, we can see that Jesus did come to save his people and he will come again. Sometimes it can be very discouraging to see all of the brokenness in the world around us, and Advent is a time for us who are in the trenches to have faith that, first, we cannot win the fight on our own. We need reinforcements. We need a Savior. And second, to have faith that he is coming.”
Engaging in Advent
For Father Thuringer and indeed the entire Church, focusing on and preparing for Christ’s coming is the central task of Advent. However, our culture’s obsession with this time as a “Christmas” season tends to overwhelm the message of Advent. It skips the waiting and grasps directly for the excitement and pleasure—a common tendency in secular culture. The result is that what should bring joy instead creates a pleasant distraction with a core that feels hollow and empty. It’s reminiscent of indulging in dessert an hour before supper. It delights the sweet tooth, but soon the belly grumbles dissatisfied, craving substance but no longer hungry.
Instead, there is satisfaction in embracing the wait. “It’s always a bit ironic that the world around us is so infatuated with the extravagance of the Christmas season, while the Church envisions Advent as a time to keep watch and prepare ourselves with penance,” Father Thuringer says. “Now, I don’t want to be Father Grinch, who tears down Christmas lights and shoos away carolers, but I would invite the faithful to consider whether holding back some of our festive traditions during Advent would help us to better enter into
this time of preparation.”
Recalling what the Church is preparing us for helps us embrace the spirit of waiting. “Don’t be afraid to embrace the eschatological (a word we use in theology to describe the second coming of Jesus) character of Advent,” Father Thuringer instructs. “Yes, enter into the season of preparing for Jesus’ birth, but also prepare for his second Advent. We shouldn’t just go to confession because ‘it’s Advent and that’s when I go’ or ‘to prepare spiritually for Christmas.’ Those are fine reasons, but Advent is a particular time to ask, ‘Am I prepared to meet Jesus when he comes again? Have I been a good soldier in the church militant or have I disobeyed some direct orders? Are there any things God is calling me to in the next four weeks to better follow him?’”
If the notion of soldiery is far-fetched from your daily life, Father Thuringer offers an image to help one engage. “One of the metaphors that Jesus used for his second coming was servants staying up late into the night waiting for their master to return. Imagine being a soldier in a foxhole, waiting longingly for the reinforcements to relieve him. In some ways, that’s what Advent should feel like. Are there any ways we should change our celebrations, decorations or preparations to align ourselves with this spirit?”
The apocalypse we prepare for during Advent won’t be as drawn out and dramatic as the ones breathlessly portrayed by the 24/7 news cycle. While there will be signs of Christ’s second coming, it won’t be obvious enough to pencil it into your calendar like the re-occurring “raptures” we’ve been treated to. Jesus compares it instead to a thief coming in the night and instructs us to remain vigilant.
And this is our task as the church militant. Let us then enter this season with a spirit of preparation and expectation, so our response to the coming apocalypse isn’t anxiety but St. John’s exclamation, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
Jake Geis is a freelance writer and parishioner at Holy Spirit in Mitchell. He is a husband and father who has taught religious education and led youth groups over the years
