Today, the first Sunday of Advent, marks the beginning of the new liturgical year and the first of a 28-day season of hopeful watching and waiting for the arrival of the Christ Child.
In today's Gospel, Matthew recounts Jesus' own words which compare the coming of the Son of Man to the flood in Genesis:
"For 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."
The apocalyptic parallel between the flood and the Second Coming is obvious, but perhaps less so is the one drawn between Jesus as Savior and Noah with his ark.
In Genesis, Noah was called by God to build a giant sea-faring vessel to house not only his family but pairs of every kind of animal on Earth. The Bible does not give details about how Noah's neighbors reacted to the construction of the ark, but it would be easy to imagine their astonishment, skepticism, and even ridicule. In any case, as impossible or absurd as the command may have sounded, Noah delivered. His ark became the doorway -- the only doorway -- to salvation and a new era of life on earth.
Like Noah, Jesus had to perform what seemed like an impossible task that would ultimately lead to salvation.
Where Noah was called and commanded, Jesus was born to fulfill His destiny as the Savior.
Where Noah's cargo was his righteous progeny and two (or more) of every Earth-dwelling creature, upon Jesus' shoulders weighed the sins of all people, past, present and future.
And like the ark which had only one door through which safety was afforded, so Jesus became the single portal through which everlasting life might be attained.
In the Gospel, Jesus advises:
"Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be 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 know on which day your Lord will come."
Here we may draw a parallel with Advent. At the time of Jesus' birth, no one -- save Mary, Joseph, and perhaps the Magi -- knew He was coming. For us today, Advent allows us the blessing of anticipation -- that is, the opportunity to prepare and look forward to the birth of our Savior, which historically was an event so under the radar that it unfolded in a stable in Bethlehem where the only earthly witnesses were animals (echoes of Noah's ark again).
Throughout Advent, the Gospel and readings touch on the central theme of the coming of Jesus in three main ways: His actual birth; the revelation of His identity through His ministry; and His Second Coming. Thus, Advent is a time when we are called to reflect on the ongoing revelation of who Jesus was during His time on Earth; who He is as born in and acting through us as members of the apostolic
Church; and to ponder the imminence of His return.
Above all, it is a time to pay attention -- to stay awake as Jesus says. We now have the luxury of preparing for the spiritual gifts of Christmas, but we must also acknowledge its ineluctable connection to Jesus' Second Coming, perhaps a less comfortable eventuality; and be as vigilant for that as we would have been had we known He was about to be born in Bethlehem.
Our faith in Jesus is the ark that will carry us to freedom and new life. What a wonderful blessing it is to spend the next four weeks anticipating with joy the arrival of our Savior, who came to Earth just as we all did: as a helpless, naked, sweet and innocent infant.
What better way for Him to come to know the people whom he would sacrifice all to save? |
