Daily Reflection – 11/14/2025
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, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one 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
In today’s Gospel from Luke, we hear the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God will come. They were watching, waiting for a dramatic sign, a powerful intervention that would overthrow their oppressors and establish God’s rule. Their question was a test, as they refused to see the Messiah standing right in front of them. Jesus’s reply must have stunned them: the kingdom of God is already among you. It is both a present reality and a future fulfillment.
We enter this kingdom when we allow the King to reign in our hearts. It is a state of being where His will becomes our will, where we submit our lives to His loving authority. This idea of submission can feel at odds with our modern emphasis on personal freedom. In a culture that often champions a “my way or the highway” approach, yielding control seems counterintuitive. Yet, the path of self-determination, of building our own little kingdom and hallowing our own name, ultimately leads to a dead end.
Jesus offers us a profound paradox to guide our way: “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” This is the core of discipleship. Those who are truly living in God’s kingdom are the ones “losing” their lives daily in service to God and others. They pour themselves out so that His kingdom can come and His will can be done. In contrast, those who cling tightly to their own plans and securities, trying to preserve their lives on their own terms, are the ones who ultimately lose everything.
This call to “lose our life” is not about following a set of rules or simply agreeing with a list of theological statements. Many people live good, moral lives without any religious conviction. The heart of our faith is something much deeper and more personal. It is the life-altering realization that we are beloved sons and daughters of God. It is a living, breathing relationship with Jesus Christ, who knows us intimately and loves us unconditionally.
Outside of this relationship, faith can become a collection of empty words, and religion a system of abstract ideas. But words and ideas alone cannot save us. Only love can save us. Only a relationship of love with Christ can anchor us in a world filled with threats. We face the fear of illness, the sting of prejudice, the grip of addiction, and the shadow of violence and injustice. How can we possibly cope with the anxieties these realities stir within us? How do we find the strength to stand against evil and work for God’s kingdom with hope in our hearts?
The answer is found not in our own strength, but in grounding ourselves in God’s personal and unwavering love for us. Peace comes when we believe that the Creator of the universe knows the very sound of our voice and has chosen us as His own. The Gospel passage reminds us that, like in the days of Noah and Lot, life will go on with its ordinary routines until the Lord comes again. We are not to be paralyzed by fear but prepared by love.
Jesus’s words are a promise. He knows you. He loves you. He will always care for you and protect you. Our task is to stand firmly in that personal relationship, to draw strength from His unwavering commitment to us. When Jesus says, “I love you,” we are invited to believe him and to live in the profound peace that flows from that divine love.
Prayer of The Day
“Jesus, help me to see things as you see them, to value them as you value them. Give me the light and the strength to fulfill your will in all things—both now and at the end of my life.”
Daily Note
Jesus says that we stand in a close, personal relationship with him. He will give us life and protect us. Jesus’ words are clear. The question is, do we think that he is serious? Or do we hear them as a kind of religious jargon or a modified sales pitch that only partially applies to us? To hear them in that way would be a fatal mistake because the basis of all that we believe depends upon our acceptance of that personal relationship with Christ.
