Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not kow on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Today, November 30, is the first day of the new liturgical year, and the First Sunday of Advent. It is also the beginning of the Year of Matthew, when the Church reads through the Gospel According to Matthew on each Sunday. Matthew is the longest of the four Gospels and for many centuries was thought to be the first of the four Gospels to be composed. Today, most contemporary Scripture scholars believe that Mark was written first and that Matthew, and Luke, used Mark’s Gospel to provide a timeline to their Gospels, as well as many stories and teachings of Jesus. Indeed, almost the entire Gospel According to Mark is incorporated into Matthew’s Gospel. There is a small, though respected, number of biblical scholars who still hold to the primacy of Matthew.

Advent is a season of penance, but mostly a season of joyful expectation. We do penance during Advent to prepare for Christmas, of course, but even moreso to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ at the parousia. As such, Advent is a season of joyful expectation of the coming of Christ: His first coming at Christmas, and His Second Coming at the end of the world.

Here are some thoughts from St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop of Jerusalem from 350-386, Church Father and Doctor of the Church:

“We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom. … At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising its shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels. We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second coming we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.“

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking of His Second Coming at the end of the world. The clear point He is making is that no one knows when Jesus, the Son of Man, will return. He will come to judge each according to his or her deeds. Since no one knows when He will return, we ought to be about pleasing God and living the life of the gospel each day. If we are living a life that gives glory to God, we shouldn’t be concerned about when Christ returns, for we will be ready for Him. In fact, for those who claim Christ and do live the life of the gospel, the Second Coming will be a time of joy, of celebration that Jesus has returned to take us home to the Father.