22ndWeek in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 05th September 2023 — 1 Thess 5,1-6.9-11; Lk 4,31-37
Inevitability of Parousia
In the first reading, Paul urges the Christians of Thessalonika to be alert and ready for the Lord’s coming because the time of Jesus’ return could be any time and no one knows when it will be. Paul says, as far as the Lord’s coming is concerned, there is no point in talking about “times and the seasons.” The phrase “Times and the Seasons” is like a cliché referring to the time of Parousia. Behind it is the idea that God is outside time but, at the same time, controls time and its divisions. Times (chronos) refers to its date and seasons (kairos) to God’s propitious moments for special redemptive acts. Paul says that this time is known as accurately as the moment of the arrival of a thief. The day of the Lord’s coming is sudden like a thief in the night. Paul also warns that it comes suddenly as labour pains on a pregnant woman and there will be no escape. Viewing these two figures give the picture of the day of the Lord as sudden and inevitable. Therefore, it is necessary for the believer to stay awake and be watchful.
