THE WORD
Wis 13: 1–9 / Lk 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
In today’s first reading (wisdom 13: 1 - 9 ), non-Jews are accused of being blind because they see and appreciate the beauty of creation and yet fail to recognize the Creator behind it. In the same manner, in today’s Gospel, the people fail to see the signs of God’s coming in judgment, so Jesus reprimands them for that.
Jesus tells us that His coming is not an extraordinary one. He, in fact, keeps coming to us always, so we need to be vigilant. We need to do things that are pleasing in His sight. Each day we need to be more loving, more generous and more forgiving. If we do this religiously, then God’s coming to our lives should not be a cause of fear but a cause of joy, for He will pour upon us the fulfillment of His promise, that is — our life and our salvation. Everyday let us pray that God will help us not to lose sight of the goal of heaven. May we live each day with zeal and dedication for God’s Kingdom.
- Renato Malbog, SVD (CTManila)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
