This coming Sunday is the start of a new liturgical year (Year C) and the first Sunday in Advent. The season of Advent (Latin for “coming to”) begins with a look to the future coming (parousia in Greek) of the Son of Man. (n.b.: the phrase “second coming” doesn’t occur in scriptures!) One wonders why this would be the first gospel of Advent for this year. Shouldn’t we be looking ahead to the coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem? The subsequent Sundays in Advent for this year do exactly that. I would suggest that the Church wants to remind us that the coming promised is already and continuing to be here. In Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, by N. T. Wright suggests that the “reappearing” of Jesus might be a better phrase — and one that was used by some early Christians. Continue reading →