“The day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden disaster comes upon them.” (1 Thess. 5:2-3)
As the final weeks of the Liturgical Year transition into the first days of Advent, the readings for the Mass become more and more Apocalyptic – that is, they begin preparing us for the celebration of Our Lord’s birth at Christmas, and also for his Second Coming at the end of time. The above Scripture passage comes from the second reading for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In his first letter to the Church at Thessalonica in Greece, St. Paul is exhorting his audience to remain vigilant, for the “Day of the Lord” could come at any time. It was widely believed among the first Christians that the Second Coming of Christ would occur very soon, within their own lifetimes, so they were anxious not to be caught unawares. As I was listening to this reading at Mass, I was struck by the contrast between the attitude of watchfulness of the early Christians and the apathy and indifference shown by the fictional Pernese people in the science-fantasy novel Dragonflight.
This year, I’ve been reading through Anne McCaffrey’s celebrated Dragonriders of Pern series. This ambitious melding of the science fiction and fantasy genres follows the human inhabitants of the planet Pern as they fight to defend their world from deadly alien spores, known as “Thread,” that periodically rain down on their world, destroying all organic matter. To help them kill the Thread, the Pernese engineered a race of telepathic, flying, fire-breathing reptiles that they call Dragons. However, as the novel Dragonflight opens, it has been centuries since the last Threadfall. Most Pernese now dismiss the ancient battles against Thread as nothing but myths. The Weyrs (mountain fortresses where Dragons are bred and Dragonriders are trained) have fallen into a steady decline. Only Benden Weyr remains active; the other five having been mysteriously abandoned hundreds of years ago.
As F’lar, a prominent Dragonrider at Benden Weyr, searches Pern for female candidates to become the future rider of the new queen dragon, he is dismayed to find the people – nobles and commoners alike – dismissive of the need to prepare for Threadfall and disdainful of their erstwhile protectors, the Dragonriders. Even though the Red Star (the home planet of the Thread) grows steadily in the sky, warning Pern of the impending danger, few pay heed to the sign. When Thread finally does return, Pern will not be ready.
The Gospel reading this year for the First Sunday of Advent comes from the end of the thirteenth chapter of Mark. This chapter focuses on a discourse Jesus has with his disciples concerning the Last Days. He tells them of great wars and natural disasters that will occur and persecutions that will be inflicted upon those who believe in him. But these are only the signs of what is to come. One day, Jesus says, “they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in the clouds’ with great power and glory.” (Mark 13:26) To prepare for this Day of the Lord, on which all men shall be judged, Jesus admonishes the disciples in no uncertain terms on the need for watchfulness.
“Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man travelling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming… May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:32-37)
Advent is a season of vigilance, of watchfulness. As we hear the haunting strains of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” this year, let us prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ into our hearts on Christmas Day. And may he not find our hearts hardened like the people of Pern. As St. Paul encouraged the Thessalonians:
“You are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.” (1 Thess. 5:5-6)
Thomas J. Salerno
Thomas Salerno is a Catholic author, freelance writer, and podcaster born and raised on Long Island, New York. Among his many passions are dinosaurs, Tolkien's Middle-earth, Star Wars, and superheroes. His writing has been featured in numerous publications including Word on Fire, Aleteia, Amendo, Busted Halo, Catholic World Report, Empty Tomb Project, and Missio Dei. Thomas is the creator and host of the Perilous Realms Podcast and is a contributor to the StarQuest Production Network (SQPN), where he serves as co-host on the Secrets of Movies and TV Shows and the Secrets of Middle-Earth podcasts. Thomas has a bachelor of arts in anthropology from Stony Brook University. You can follow his work on his Substack newsletter thomasjsalerno.substack.com or @Salerno_Thomas on Twitter.