The Two Advents of Jesus

Shortly, we begin the season of Advent. The word “advent” means “arrival” or “coming.” It is derived from the Latin translation of the Greek word parousia and is normally used in the New Testament in connection with Jesus’ second coming at the end of time.

We read from the prophet Isaiah during the first weeks of the liturgy of Advent. The prophet Isaiah was active in Jerusalem from 740 B.C. until 701 B.C. He lived through difficult times of war and conflict, and when Jerusalem was continually threatened by the Assyrian Empire.

Isaiah’s basic message returns again and again to three ideas:

First, he condemns the sinfulness of the people of God.

Second, he calls the people to repentance as they will face God’s judgment.

And third, he promises hope because the Lord’s mercy is never exhausted for those who desire it.

The Book of Isaiah, often called the Fifth Gospel due to its many Christological prophecies, points to the coming of the Messiah in an age of fulfillment and restoration.

However, when we read these prophecies during Advent, we can apply them to the second coming of the Lord and the attitude of watchfulness that marks our expectation of it.

Thus, there are two Advents!

The Fathers of the Church often linked the Lord’s first coming in humility to Bethlehem with his second coming in glory at the end of time. This is why the readings for Advent begin with the second Advent of Christ.

At the first advent (Christmas):

-The world did not notice the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

-The Lord was born in humility and weakness.

At the second advent (Parousia):

-The world will notice.

-The Lord will come in glory and power.

The Gospel we read on the first Sunday of Advent complements the reading from Isaiah and deals with the end of time. In fact, the passage from the Gospel of Matthew is from Jesus’ fifth major discourse, the eschatological or end-times discourse. Images of three events are interwoven in this discourse, and each event calls for vigilance.

-Jesus’ apostles are called to vigilance in the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus’ death and resurrection, and this event inaugurates the final age of the world.

-The early Church is called to vigilance before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Romans.

-All Christians are called to be ready for their encounter with the Lord at their death and at the end of time.

Jesus admonishes his disciples and us to “stay awake” and “be prepared” for the coming of the Son of Man.  And this second Advent is the deeper event that we are to prepare our souls for during the days leading up to Christmas!