1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT - GOSPEL
Matthew 24:37-44
And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into
the ark. And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also
shall the coming of the Son of man be. Then two shall be in the field: one
shall be taken, and one shall be left. Two women shall be grinding at the
mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. Watch ye therefore,
because ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this ye,
that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he
would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.
Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man
will come.
Gospel Reflection - Mollie
Ricketts
‘Are you ready for Christmas?’ is a question
that constantly is floating around at this time of the year, but today’s
readings pose another more pressing question: are we ready for Christ?
Amongst the chaos leading up to Christmas,
filled with deadlines, pressures and stresses, this Gospel holds such power to
instantly put our lives into perspective. Are we ready? Far too often these
worries and struggles of the world overtake our spiritual lives and prevent us
from focussing on our one true purpose in this life: preparing our souls for
the coming again of Christ.
St Matthew speaks such simple but powerful
truth: ‘you do not know on what day your Lord is coming’. As humans we are
constantly trying to control and manage our lives to suit us, but today’s
readings directly challenges this. We need to put all our trust in God, and
focus on the things of eternal life: our salvation and the salvation of others.
It is so incredibly easy to become dragged down by the way of the world; the
readings today remind us that this will not prepare us. Of course this is a lot
easier said that done, but we know that we will only obtain true peace and joy
when we are doing the will of God.
The element of uncertainty in St Matthew’s
words can be a daunting prospect. St Matthew isn’t giving us a date or time
frame but an awareness to be alert and prepared. Often it is tempting and somewhat
easier to invest ourselves in the events and things of the world which we know
are certain like the General Election or the festivities of Christmas, and live
in denial. However, by ignoring St Matthew we are living in denial about the
reality of our salvation and the state of our souls, or are we procrastinating
until we feel it is ‘the right time’? The events of the world will pass but the
way we live our lives and the state of our soul is our only true reflection of
how we have lived our life in God’s eyes.
St Matthew’s words are not intended to
frighten us but provide us with hope; hope that the coming of Christ is
approaching. In a world filled with sin and darkness, we are being called to
‘cast of the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light’. We are being
called to become a real follower of Christ. Today’s readings remind us
perfectly of our mission: to be prepare our soul for the second coming of
Christ.
Advent provides a perfect time to re-centre
our focus on Christ. Have we forgiven those who have hurt us? Are we at peace
with ourselves, God and others? Are we trying to help those in need,
spiritually and materially, and bring about God’s kingdom on Earth? Are we
living out our faith in a way which is pleasing to God? We only have today so
let us be ready for Christ. The time is now.
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