Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Today as we begin the journey of Advent it is of the utmost importance that we remember and hold this belief about Jesus Christ close to our hearts. In the season of Advent the Church presents us with four weeks to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. These four weeks have a twofold function, which is most clearly seen in the choice of Scripture readings that the Church has chosen for us in this time of preparation. The first two weeks of Advent always contain scripture readings that focus our attention on the second coming of Christ. The last two weeks shift our attention to the more immediate celebration of Christ’s first coming, which has taken place in Bethlehem.
Today, therefore the Church calls us to focus our energies on the second coming of Christ by reflecting upon the passage of Matthew’s gospel that has just been proclaimed in our hearing. This passage of Matthew’s gospel is jam packed with information that throughout the Church’s history has given rise to much anxiety among many of her faithful children. In today’s world, passages of scripture that deal with the second coming of Christ such as this passage still excite anxiety and curiosity among both believers and non-believers alike. If we are to spend our energies wisely this Advent in reflecting upon the second coming of Christ then we must ask ourselves the question: what was Matthew trying to convey to his community of faith about the return of Christ in glory?
In the early years after Jesus ascended into heaven, the belief that his return into glory would be immediate was commonly held among the newly growing Church. However, within the passing decades of Jesus’ ascension some Christians began to lose hope in Christ’s return and this lack of hope gave rise to a spirit of despair. Some Christians as a result of this despair began turning to ungodly living and it was this despair that Matthew eagerly desired to correct.
In speaking about Christ’s return in glory Matthew stressed for his listeners that the time of Christ’s return is both unknowable and requires continual readiness on the part of believers. In this passage Matthew makes it quite clear that it is useless to speculate about the day of Christ’s return, and that it should suffice the faithful Christian to know that such a day will occur. The readiness that Matthew stresses as the necessary preparation for the return of Christ is not a mere knowledge of the signs of the times as we see among many in today’s world who are preoccupied with defining world events as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. For Matthew on the other hand, readiness for Christ’s second coming is to be shown forth by living in harmony with the values of the Gospel in an on-going way. The chapters of Matthew’s gospel that follow the passage in question develop in more detail what such gospel values should look like.
In drawing a parallel between the days of Noah and the return of Christ in glory Matthew is trying to emphasize that Christ’s coming will occur when we are busy about our normal daily routine. For us gathered here, Christ’s return may occur while we are writing an essay or it may occur as we walk from the supper table to the chapel to sing the hymn to Mary. Matthew makes it quite clear to us that we are not to become preoccupied with signs of Christ’s coming because it will occur at a time when we least expect it. As a result of not knowing the day or the hour of Christ’s coming, Matthew encourages us as he did his community of faith to live lives that are continually acceptable before the Lord.
To reflect upon Christ’s second coming is also a reminder to us of our human freedom which can accept or reject the readiness that the gospel is calling us to live. The way in which we use our freedom to respond to today’s Gospel will also give rise to the judgment that we will receive at his coming.
For many, the issue of judgment is a scary thought. Some people find themselves paralyzed by such a word and yet this is does not have to be. If we find ourselves uneasy after hearing such a gospel passage then it may perhaps be an invitation from the Holy Spirit to be reconciled with God for some possible unconfessed sin. If, however, we are in a good relationship with God, then we need not fear the thought of judgment. If we are in relationship with Jesus Christ daily, his second coming will not catch us off-guard. We are not called to live in reference to the end, but rather we are called to live in daily relationship with him who is the beginning and the end.
The good news at the heart of today’s gospel therefore is not that judgment awaits us but rather that Christ desires a relationship with his people that will embody a daily dimension. An ancient Latin proverb says: “He who gives quickly; gives twice.” This proverb speaks a simple but profound truth about the response that Jesus Christ seeks from us in terms of the relationship that he longs to have with us. If we live in relationship with Jesus Christ daily and freely then we offer the gift of our lives to him quickly but if our relationship with him is driven only out of fear of being judged by him then we may find ourselves as those who begrudgingly offer the author of love, the love that is his due.
Day after day and week after week we gather around the altar to partake of the very person of Jesus Christ in his body and blood. The world has never known a sweeter and more committed love than this. Where do we stand in our relationship with Jesus Christ? If we respond generously to the call of today’s gospel then we shall make our daily prayer the following: O Lord may we experience you not as the thief who catches us off-guard at the end of our lives but rather as the thief whom we have allowed to steal the central place in our hearts each and everyday of our lives.
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