First Sunday of Advent,
Year A. Nov. 30, 2025
Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew
24:37-44
Theme: Repent and Always Stay Awake Until the Coming of our Lord
A. A Brief Exegetical Analysis of Matthew 24:37-44
1. Historical and Literary
Contexts
Our Gospel passage comes from the part where Jesus
teaches about the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the signs of the end
times (24:1-51). In this section, Jesus predicted the destruction of
Jerusalem’s temple (24:1-2), and his disciples asked him when this destruction
would occur and what signs would precede his coming and the end of the age
(24:3). Our Gospel passage is part of Jesus’ response. Before this text, Jesus
described the beginning of calamities (vv. 4-14), the great tribulation of the
“desolating abomination” (vv. 15-28), his second coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory (vv. 29-31), and the parable of the Fig Tree, which
taught them how to discern the proximity of the end of the age (vv. 32-35).
Immediately following our text is the parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful
Servant, which concludes this section and through which Jesus urges his
disciples to be faithful and prudent (vv. 45-51).
2. Form, Structure, and
Movement
Our Gospel passage is an apocalyptic discourse with
analogies and parables. It can be divided into two parts. In the first part,
Jesus likens the days leading up to his second coming to the days that preceded
Noah’s flood event (vv. 37-39), and in the second part, through some brief
parables, he exhorts his disciples to remain vigilant at all times (vv.
40-44).
3. Detailed Analysis
Vv. 37-39. In the first part of our Gospel, Jesus
compares the days preceding the flood in Noah’s time to the days leading up to
his second coming and the last judgment. The people in Noah’s time did not know
when the flood would come. They perished because of their unreadiness. In this
comparison, Jesus warns his disciples that the same will be true at his second
coming and the final judgment. The disciples have nothing to do with the lack
of knowledge of when the end of time occurs because God is the only one who
knows the day and hour (see v. 36). What they can do is always stay prepared to
escape eternal condemnation.
Vv. 40-44.
Jesus illustrates his teaching with some parables in the second part of our
Gospel (vv. 40-44). The parable about the two men working in the field and the
two women grinding at the mill, among whom one will be taken, and one will be
left, teaches that eternal salvation and eternal condemnation are both factual
and imminent. The parable about “the master of the house and the thief”
emphasizes the necessity of always being ready and prepared, as nobody knows
when the end of time will occur.
4.
Synthesis
Jesus discussed his second coming and the final judgment with his disciples. He first likened the days leading to the end of time and the last judgment with the days that preceded the flood’s event in Noah’s time. In this comparison and through various parables, he emphasized that the end time and the last judgment are both actual and imminent, and no one knows when they will occur. Consequently, the faithful are called to remain vigilant at all times and be prepared to be saved.
B. Pastoral Implications
- Liturgical Context
The hope candle is lit in our Advent wreath, reminding
us to wait for Jesus with hope. The scripture readings we just heard teach us
what to do while waiting for Jesus’ coming. In the first reading, the prophet
Isaiah calls his fellow Israelites, who were waiting for the “day of the Lord,”
to walk in the light of the Lord and let God instruct them in his way. The
Gospel teaches us that the end of time and the last judgment are actual and
imminent. We must repent and remain vigilant. Saint Paul asks the Roman
faithful to do the same thing in the second reading. He exhorts them to throw
off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light now, not postponing it
because the hour is nearer.
- What the Church Teaches Us Today
In the first part of our Gospel (24:37-39), Jesus
warns us today that what happened in Noah’s time will also apply to his second
coming and the final judgment. Therefore, unlike the people of Noah’s time, we
should repent, remain vigilant, and avoid returning to our sinful lives until
our day of salvation. Jesus illustrates his teaching with parables in the
second part of our Gospel (vv. 40-44). The parable of the two men working in
the field and the two women grinding at the mill, among whom one will be taken
and one will be left (vv. 40-41), teaches us that eternal salvation and eternal
condemnation are real and imminent. The parable of “the master of the house and
the thief” emphasizes the necessity for us to always be ready, as nobody knows
when the end of time will occur. The first reading imparts the same lesson.
The first
reading presents Isaiah’s vision of the “Mountain of the Lord’s house” (Mount
Zion), which refers to the Church that Jesus established at the Last Supper. He
prophesies that in the coming days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be
established as the highest mountain, elevated above the hills (Is 2:2). This
vision finds its fulfillment in Jesus when he celebrated the Last Supper and
instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist (Mass) in the Upper Room, located on
the same Mount Zion mentioned by Isaiah.
Jesus established his Church and elevated it higher.
All nations, including us today, will stream towards it as we do here and now.
Our Local Church embodies this “mountain of the Lord’s house.” Every time we
attend Mass, we are sacramentally brought into the “Upper Room on this Mount
Zion” and renew our covenant with him. Coming to Church symbolizes ascending to
the house of the Lord, as Isaiah encourages us: “Come and climb the Lord’s
Mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his
ways, and we may walk in his paths” (Is 2:3). Through the scripture readings
and homilies that we hear at each Mass, God instructs us, not in the way we
desire, but in his ways. He guides us not in the direction we choose but in his
direction.
Isaiah continues by stating that the people “shall
beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One
nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war
again” (Is 2:4). God’s word and instruction lead the nation of Israel to
repentance, prompting them to settle their disputes rather than resort to war.
Similarly, God’s Word and the homilies we hear at each Mass should transform us
and encourage us to repent of all sins. Isaiah concludes this passage by inviting
us to walk in the Lord’s light. This means that after leaving our sins behind,
we should remain ever-vigilant so as not to return to our old ways.
In our second reading, Saint Paul advises us not to
postpone repentance but to do so now, because salvation is nearer (Rm 13:11).
May the liturgy of this first Sunday of Advent enable us to repent and remain
vigilant until the day of our salvation. Amen.
Rev.
Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor
of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson, MS &
SVD
USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
No comments:
Post a Comment