Advent Reading Sunday, November 29 & Catena Aurea Commentary

The following is the Gospel reading for Sunday, the Church fathers commentary in blue and then my comments in red.

Gospel, Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

²⁵ 'There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves;

²⁶ men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.

²⁷ And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.'

³⁴ 'Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened by debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will come upon you unexpectedly,

³⁵ like a trap. For it will come down on all those living on the face of the earth.

³⁶ Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to hold your ground before the Son of man.'

The Gospel that opens Advent this year is clearly about the future coming of Christ... both in the first instance and in the future. Here is what the Church fathers say [from: http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea-Luke21.php]

Re: Verses 25-27:

EUSEBIUS: For at that time when the end of this perishing life shall be accomplished, and, as the Apostle says, The fashion of this world passes away, then shall succeed a new world in which instead of sensible light, Christ Himself shall shine as a sunbeam, and as the King of the new world, and so mighty and glorious will be His light, that the sun which now dazzles so brightly, and the moon and all the stars, shall be hidden by the coming of a far greater light.

CYRIL; Great must be understood in like manner. For His first appearance He made in our weakness and lowliness, the second He shall celebrate in all His own power.  

The coming of Christ originally came in a lowly form. His glory then was then as a man, and so his coming was signaled in a lowly way, much deserved of mankind. One star symbolized his birthplace, in a cave with animals. His birth was known to very few - only his greatest enemies and greatest believers. Saint Cyril juxtaposes this image, the one we are so familiar with in the "Little Town of Bethlehem", and makes reference to the description Eusebius gives. His second coming will be with all the Glory and Splendor of God and it will be known to all. This second coming, and its description show what a humble act God undertook by giving Jesus to us in Human form.

RE: Verses 34-36:

THEOPHYL. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face. 

THEOPHYL. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time,

BASIL; But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shows by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares. 

These verses which follow the account of the Second Coming are a warning and guidepost for us as Christians. We are to be mindful and watchful; not necessarily over the skies for the appearance but instead over our souls and our faith. Many use these verses as an argument against drinking in total, but as the commentary explains, the danger and problem is in the indulgence and excess of such things. The excess clouds our minds and prevents us from clearly focusing on the GOOD that is GOD. Therefore during Advent, as we prepare ourselves for the "first coming" let us be mindful of such things. Let us not focus on shopping, "events" and the earthly concerns that pull us from God. All that we do for the next month and a half should always focus on Christ. If ALL of our actions don't lead back to or center on Christ, they are therefore self-indulgent and as St. Basil says, "must be avoided."