My first visit to Pompeii in October revealed a city truly frozen in time. The incredibly thick layer of volcanic ash that fell so rapidly acted as a protective blanket, preserving everything beneath it. This image of a sudden, unexpected end powerfully resonates with the Lord's words in today's Gospel. Before the eruption of Vesuvius, Pompeii was a vibrant, wealthy, and busy center of agriculture and commerce. Its people were simply fully immersed in daily life until the ash began to fall and covered them all.
The liturgical season of Advent begins today. The close of today's Gospel offers a wonderful promise that formally introduces this season: the Lord's simple declaration, "The Son of Man will come." This glorious coming of the Lord is the very foundation of Christian hope.
While we do not know if we are the generation that will witness the Lord's glorious return, we have a certainty that is just as vital: we will see Him when He comes to meet us personally at the end of our earthly life. This dual reality of His future public return and our inevitable personal encounter make this Sunday's Gospel essential. It is here that the Lord teaches us the importance of being prepared for His arrival.
To teach us about being prepared, the Lord draws a direct parallel using the experience of the people in Noah's time. In those days, life was unremarkable. No miraculous events occurred to shock people into realizing that God was mysteriously, yet truly, acting in their lives. The critical failure of those people was that they did not recognize God's presence or His call to conversion stirring in their consciences. They remained consumed by their ordinary routines, continuing in sin because “They did not know.” The severity of their unawareness is the key lesson: Divine punishment arrives unexpectedly. The Lord states: “They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.”
The first, fundamental lesson of the Gospel is this: God comes to us in our daily lives. Every moment, every action, and every personal encounter is, in fact, an encounter with the Lord. Our essential task is to see daily life with eyes of faith so we may discover and acknowledge God's presence within it. The Lord sternly warns us against the danger of not recognizing His presence. We all run the risk of becoming completely absorbed in the things of this world—"food, drink," and worldly concerns—and thus failing to notice His call or the unexpected arrival of judgment.
The Lord illustrates this with a stark image of separation: “So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.” Those who are taken (carried away, like the people of Noah's time) are those who, in their worldly absorption, did not recognize the Lord's arrival.
We must, therefore, be prepared for His coming. The Lord tells us precisely how: by choosing to "stay awake." He illustrates this imperative with the example of a person in charge of a household: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.” Just as a vigilant person guards his property against an unexpected intrusion, so too must we maintain spiritual alertness against the surprise of the Lord's arrival.
The Lord offers His final, urgent directive: “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” The essential identity of the person who successfully stays awake is revealed through action: it is the one who prays and serves others.
As we embark on this beautiful and joyful season of Advent, let us humbly petition the Lord to grant us the grace to maintain that spiritual vigilance—to stay awake—and thus be truly prepared for His arrival.