Daily Reflection – 11/17/2023
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
The tonality of this passage is quite somber. But don’t let that distract you from its inherent significance. So, let’s break this down and walk through it.
Basically, if we try to direct our lives and our future by our own effort, things will not work out. It should never be Self Above All. In fact, Jesus is telling us that we must “lose ourselves.” By calling us to “lose” our life, Jesus is telling us that we must abandon ourselves to Him. Two especially significant thoughts.
Losing ourselves in Jesus Christ begins first with forming a relationship with Him. A relationship that is as active as we would have with a dear friend. We talk with Him throughout the day. We think of Him often. We know that our joys are a gift from Him. We also know that when hardship confronts us, our Lord is there to comfort and sustain us. In fact, it’s especially during those dark days when we pray not expecting Him to change the day but knowing that, in prayer, He is there to provide the love and guidance to get us through those days.
That relationship then leads us to abandon ourselves to Him.
We are to trust Jesus and ask him to guide us into doing those things that are consistent with His holy will. This is the only way to save our life. We save it by letting go of our own will and letting God take over.
This level of trust and surrender is hard for us. Our culture promotes self-sufficiency as we grow. But His words remind us, again and again, that we must have complete trust in God. When we do just that, we will be amazed at the fact that God’s ways and plan for our life is far better than we could ever come up with on our own. His wisdom is beyond compare and His solution to all our concerns and problems is perfect.
We are to trust Jesus and ask him to guide us into doing those things that are consistent with His holy will. This is the only way to save our life. We save it by letting go of our own will and letting God take over.
This level of trust and surrender is very difficult– to come to the level of complete trust in God. But if we can do just that, we will be amazed at the fact that God’s ways and plan for our life is far better than we could ever come up with on our own. His wisdom is beyond compare and His solution to all our concerns and problems is perfect.
When we grasp that, when we bring that into our whole being then we begin to live a Christ centered life. We are still human, and we will be subject to human emotions. There will be times when we despair, when we need, when we are not sure which direction to take and more. And those are precisely those times when He will be most present in our lives because we took the time to build a relationship with Him.
All of this leads us to ask ourselves 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?
Because each day is one that we journey to the Lord. Each day, God who gives and governs time is inviting us to draw closer to Him. In fact, He is asking us to re-dedicate ourselves to living in and through Him.
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.
The people in Noah’s time ignored the Lord’s warning of judgment. They missed the boat, literally! Whose boat are you taking — the world’s boat to success and happiness or God’s boat to heaven and bliss with him? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when God’s judgment comes. They rejoice even now that they will see the Lord in his glory! Seize this day and mark it as one which marks the best day with your best friend
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
As we consider the timeline of God’s unfolding plan, the redemption of the whole cosmos, the God who gives and governs time, 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.
