1st Sunday of Advent

 My dear parishioners,

God is Good!!!  All the time!!!  And all the time!!!  God is Good!!!

The language in this reading is so vivid, it is explained as something the prophet saw rather than as something he said. Such impressive images are characteristic of Isaiah’s message. First comes the image of the mountain of the Lord. Only later in the oracle does it become clear Isaiah is talking about the heights of Jerusalem.

Today the Church begins its four-week Advent preparation for the birth of the Messiah. This marks the beginning of a new liturgical year, and thus we begin a yearlong reading of the Gospel of Matthew.

Noah and the flood. Throughout this entire passage, Matthew stresses the theme of being prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. He begins with a somewhat odd reference to Noah not being prepared for the flood until the very day it happened. This is not exactly what Gn 6:11–13 says, but still the reader understands the comparison. Noah seems to have thought everything was going well, and so he was not at all prepared for the catastrophic flood that ensued. Similarly, the coming of the Son of Man will take place suddenly and without any advance notification.

One taken and one left behind. The advent of the Son of Man will come suddenly, and people who seem to be in the same situation will be dealt with differently. Examples are given of two men in a field and two women grinding at the mill. In each case, one will be prepared and the other will not. The result will be that the one prepared will be taken up to the kingdom of God while the other will be left behind. The difference is in their preparedness.

Be watchful, be ready, be prepared. Matthew’s theme of constant preparedness is strong, and the Church will use it all through Advent. For Matthew, this high-level eschatological alertness is crucial since no one knows when the coming of the Son of Man will happen. If we knew when this event was going to take place, we could plan accordingly and make adequate preparation. This is exemplified in the reference to the master of a house being prepared for a thief to break in. So, what is the implication of Matthew’s teaching?  First, there is no way for humans to know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come. It is useless to try and figure that out. Second, the only way not to get caught off guard is to be constantly prepared for that final day and to be consistently watchful. Thus we must live as if each day will indeed be the final day.

 

Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org. All rights reserved

 

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Aloysius