Luke 17:26-37
Jesus said to his disciples: "As it was in the days
of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the
ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the
days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to
destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that
day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must
not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to
what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his
life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night
there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And
there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other
left." They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to
them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."
* * *
Introductory Prayer: I believe in you, Lord, my companion and
strength. I believe that you come out to meet me each day, asking me to depend
more on you and less on creatures. I hope in you, Lord, as the one who fills my
longing to love and be loved. I love you here and now with my prayer and with
my desire to be faithful and generous in the little things you ask of me.
Petition: Lord,
help me to put you first in my life.
1. They
Were Eating and Drinking: In the time of Noah and of Lot, God’s
judgment was said to come down upon man. Yet the real moment of judgment for
each one of us comes immediately upon our own death. It is then that the
kingdom will be fully revealed to us, and it will be decided whether we will be
part of it or not. But it is in the course of my own life that my option for
being received into the kingdom is decided. God comes to me today. How will I
respond? My response now and each day determines my eternal place in the
kingdom.
2. Do Not
Return to What Was Left Behind: In most disasters people have little
chance to collect belongings; those who try are often lost as a result. The
same will be true of the Final Judgment – or at our own death; when Jesus
comes, will I be ready? What do I most cherish? What I must hold on to is my
relationship with Christ. And this implies in so many ways losing “my life”
here. Do I live with the attitude of losing my life a little more each day,
detaching myself from things, activities and people, so as to be freer to love,
serve and be with Christ?
3. Where
the Body Is? “Where Lord?” the disciples ask; where
will the day of the Son of man take place? It will take place, says Jesus,
wherever you are. Whether we die and encounter Christ in a personal judgment or
are alive to encounter the Lord at his Second Coming and the Final Judgment,
the reality is the same. Standing next to a saint or a sinner will not alter
our fate. Who we know or what contacts we have will do little. Where we are in
our relationship with Christ will be the only real determining factor. Where am
I, Lord, today, in relationship with you? May this be my only concern!
Conversation
with Christ
Lord Jesus, increase my desire to live my life in close relation with you.
Order all my activities according to your will, and my relationships according
to your heart. “I want whatever you want, because you want it, the way you want
it, as long as you want it” (Prayer of Pope Clement XI).
Resolution: I will give
priority to my relationship with Christ. I will make prayer my first act today
before every meal.