Are you ready Christ? First day of Advent

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.