S. Ephrem saw the obvious benefit . . .

In the reading from S. Ephrem in this morning’s Second Lesson of the Office of Readings, he has commented on Christ’s observation to the Disciples, when He said ‘About that hour no one knows, neither the angels nor the Son. It is not for you to know times or moments’; and it is interesting to notice just why he says that Jesus said that : ‘To prevent His disciples from asking the time of His coming’.

And why was this ? Well, quite simply : because by keeping these answers secret, we may always keep watch for Our Lord’s coming, and thus have a genuine concern for His arrival . . . as he says, ‘He promised that He would come but did not say when He would come, and so all generations and ages await Him eagerly.’

So, as we are in Advent, we should remember that there is a good, heavenly, reason why these things are kept from us . . . to make sure that we remain alert, and our minds focussed on His will; and to ensure that we thereby achieve the optimum ambition : that of true, enduring, commitment to His will.

As S. Ephrem put it, ‘He used these words to increase respect for the signs of His coming’.