Sacred Scripture
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.” (Luke 17:26-37)
Reflection
This passage presents us with an invitation to seriously reflect on how we are living our own lives. We know that we going to die. The question is how are we living? Jesus has been revealed, is being revealed and will be fully revealed. What difference does that truth make in the way we are living our everyday lives, and in how we are using time?
We all know the Latin phrase Carpe Diem, which literally means Seize the day. Each of us journeys toward the Day of the Lord, when He will return as King. We should seize that day as the reference point for all things. We participate in His ongoing redemptive mission when we live our lives as though His day is the milestone and marker for all that we do.
As we consider the timeline of God’s unfolding plan, the redemption of the whole universe, the God who both gives and governs time, we should recognize that he invites us to re-dedicate ourselves to living differently, in time. We are to live as though time really does matter. We are invited by grace to give ourselves away for others; to imitate the One who gave Himself for the entire human race. We are invited to pour ourselves out as Jesus did. If we live life this way, when we face Him on that final day, we will do so with our arms full of gifts borne over time. These gifts will have paved the way for eternity.
Prayer of The Day
Dear Jesus, help me to better understand your kingdom. Help me each day to build your kingdom within me, in my thoughts, in my words and in my desires. Let there never be distance between us. Help me make my life both the light and salt to spread your kingdom to those with whom I come in contact every day.
Daily Note
”The soul of the elect will always see God, love God, possess God and always will wish to see Him, love Him and possess Him still more. This beatitude is the end destined for all; God has given us time only in order to merit it, being and life only to possess it. Reflect seriously on this great truth, and ask yourself these three questions at the foot of the crucifix: What have I done hitherto for heaven? What ought I to do for heaven? What shall I do henceforward for heaven?”
—St. Ignatius of Loyola
