Q. What is the Parousia?
A. One of the issues when translating words from one language to another is that often times the deeper sense or meaning of the word can be lost. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence when translating Scripture from its original Hebrew and Greek. When you Google “what does Parousia mean?” the results are generally the same. It is a word from Christian theology that means the Second Coming.
The issue, however, is that is an incomplete definition. The Latin translation of Parousia is adventus which, when translated into English, becomes “arrival,” so naturally we make the jump that Parousia means arrival in English. In the context of Pauline Theology in the New Testament, Parousia is used to mean the second advent or coming of Christ. So, it is correct to say that Parousia means the Second Coming.
But while it is correct to say this, it does not capture the deeper meaning of the word. The Greek word Parousia means “presence” and implies more than the Second Coming of Christ. It speaks to the times and ways He has and is and will be present to us. St. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of the Threefold Advents of Christ: “In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in glory and majesty.”
Christ became present to humanity by taking on our humanity, He continues to be present with us through the Spirit and most exultantly in the Eucharist, and He will be present again when He comes to judge the world.
It is easy to get caught up in anxiety or questions regarding the end of the world. The Thessalonians became so consumed with worrying about when the Parousia was going to come that they stopped caring about daily life and the things that really matter. St. Paul wrote his Second Letter to the Thessalonians for this reason, admonishing them for their inaction, telling them that those who do not work should not eat. It was St. Paul’s way of trying to snap them out of their obsession with the Parousia and get them to re-focus their attention on the work of the Gospel.
Our attention should be focused on our Lord’s Second Parousia, that is, His presence with us in the here and now, especially in the Eucharist. Deepening our relationship with Christ now is what matters, not when He comes again. It’s like ignoring the money in front of us because we are so focused on having to pay a debt in the future. If we just take the money now, we can pay our debt later. If we focus our attention and energy on responding to God’s invitation to be in relationship with Him now, then when we are in His Presence again, either after our deaths or at the Second Coming, we will have no reason to fear.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, vice chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
