Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: Matthew 24: 37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Awful things can quickly turn our world upside down.

Looking over the last century in America, there was Pearl Harbor; the assassinations of MLK, JFK, and Charlie Kirk; 9/11; wildfires, hurricanes, and health scares.

I remember my own mother laying in a hospital bed twelve years ago, suddenly diagnosed with terminal stage IV pancreatic cancer. She was 57.

When unexpected things happen, we often wonder, “How prepared were we?”

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Good things can happen just as quickly, particularly when God breaks into our lives. Think of what happened to the Virgin Mary. The angel Gabriel appeared to her on what must’ve been an otherwise ordinary day. Suddenly, she becomes the expectant Mother of God.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,” she says, “let it be done unto me according to your word.”

This is the essence of today’s Gospel teaching: Unexpected things happen, both good and bad. The most unexpected being the Lord’s return. Be ready. Or, using the imagery of Noah and the flood, build your ark now.

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These strong words come from Jesus as he is preparing for his death, which is just days away. The Lord is not only concerned about his disciples’ impending grief, but also about how they will live their lives awaiting his return.

Will his absence make their hearts grow fonder? Or will they return to the ordinariness of life, ultimately unchanged by the Gospel?

Notice the Lord describes people doing ordinary things – eating, drinking, working in a field, grinding at the mill, getting married – when, suddenly, he returns like a thief in the night. 

Half of the people are taken, literally “drawn” to God himself, while the other half are left behind. The criteria determining who stays and who goes is not who lives in a heightened state of expectation; rather, who lives their life with faith and charity.

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This image of Jesus coming like a thief in the night is striking. 

“If the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,” he says, “he would not let his house be broken into.”

A thief never warns you of the day and time he intends on breaking into your home. Think of the fugitives who shocked the world when they broke into the Louvre five weeks ago, stealing priceless jewels. 

Thieves rely upon the element of surprise and take what isn’t theirs.

So, why does Jesus liken himself to a thief? 

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Those who are not prepared for his return might see him as thief who threatens to take what is not his – their freedom, their plans for the future, even their own lives.

And yet, believers can feel the same way. 

Consider Saint Paul. In his Letter to the Galatians, he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and the life I live is no longer my own. Christ is living in me. Though I still live my earthly life, it is a life of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul’s conversion put an end to his “earthly” life. He was no longer Paul the Pharisee or Paul the Persecutor of Christians; he was Paul the Apostle, a missionary who suffered relentlessly for the sake of the Gospel.

Similarly, when I was ordained a priest, I laid down my earthly life; it’s why I wear black. Black represents death to self, and my white collar symbolizes new life in Christ. 

Through ordination, the Lord has taken my plans for the future, and rewritten them according to his own will. I’m a Georgia boy and a convert, who grew up wanting to be an actor, then a diplomat. I wanted to live all around the world, but landed in New Jersey…

It’s only in hindsight that I’ve come to see God – not as a thief – but as a friend, who has led me to a fuller life. He takes only to bless. It’s what happens to anyone who falls in love with Jesus – slowly our understanding of him changes as we begin dying to ourselves.

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Unexpected things happen. The most unexpected being the Lord’s return at the end of time when he will take us to himself. May we build our ark during this Advent season, ready to greet him when he returns.

We pray in the words of Saint Ignatius:

Take, Lord, receive,

All my liberty, my memory, my understanding,

All that I have and call my own.

You have given all to me,

To you, LORD, I return it.

Everything is yours,

Do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

That is enough for me.

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Image credits: (1) Bible Questions (2) Freepik (3) Hymns Illustrated

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Gospel: Luke 21: 29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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In his retirement, Thomas Jefferson, our nation’s third president, carried out a project he had contemplated for years.

He took a razor blade and cut and pasted various passages from the Gospels into a single narrative of Christ’s life from his birth to his crucifixion. However, Jefferson intentionally left a few things out: any mention of angels, miracles, or signs of Christ’s divinity.

All that was left were the Lord’s moral teachings. This became known as, “The Jefferson Bible,” which was held in secret until his death. 

The original script has been preserved by the Smithsonian in Washington.

Jefferson did what many human beings are tempted to do: he created a version of God in his own image and likeness, keeping what he liked and tossing out what he didn’t.

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At first glance, today’s Gospel passage might be one of those extra sections we’d be tempted to cut out, because Jesus is speaking about something uncomfortable, the end of the world – and by inclusion, the end of our own lives here on earth.

But as with any page in the Bible, all things must be put into their proper context.

First, consider who will bring an end to the world – not the Evil One, but Jesus Christ, our friend; our Savior; the one who has, “loved us and given himself for us.” A face-to-face encounter with the Son of God is meant to be a moment of tremendous awe and joy!

Secondly, consider what is ending versus what is not. 

What is coming to an end are depressing things like: darkness, war, sin, suffering, and death. Things that have plagued our world ever since Adam and Eve.

What will not end is life. Jesus tells us plainly, “Whoever in me believes has eternal life.”

Not here, but in heaven. The place where our swords will be beaten into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks; where the lion lays down with the lamb; where we will walk and not grow weary, run and not grow faint.

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As we prepare for Advent and Christmas, we should remember that we are people of the resurrection. Our God comes – not only to live and die as one of us – but also to save us and lead us into life eternal.

Come, Lord Jesus.

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Image credits: (1) Crosswalk.com (2) The Wall Street Journal (3) YouTube, Daily TV Mass

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Gospel: Luke 17: 11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. 
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine? 
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When the first pilgrims landed on the shores of America in November, 1620, they cried out in gratitude. As one pilgrim noted, “We fell upon our knees and blessed the God of heaven.”

They had just endured a harrowing two-month journey across the Atlantic. Some died on the open seas. Half of the remaining population died of tuberculosis and pneumonia that first winter. Then the spring rains came, and their condition started improving.

This was the backdrop of the first Thanksgiving. Sickness and hope. Trial and error. Success and failure. Famine, and in thanksgiving, a feast.

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Today, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by filling our tables with plenty, gathering with family and friends, watching football, and serving those who go without, much like the first pilgrims during that first frigid winter.

Gratitude is the reason for the season.

But as Christians, we are called to be grateful, not only in times of prosperity, but also in times of trial. As Saint Paul says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God.”

This is a deeper dimension of gratitude – acknowledging God’s presence in all things, at all times.

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While it’s natural for human beings to try to make sense of our environment, even to control it, faith adds a mysterious fourth dimension. Often enough, we don’t understand why things happen to us. 

But we cling to Christ’s promise, “Behold, I am with you always.” 

How do we show our gratitude for God in season and out of season? Or, like the single leper who returned to Jesus in today’s Gospel, do we pray as deeply in our gratitude as we do in our need?

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“We fell to our knees and blessed the God of heaven,” one of the first pilgrims recounted. Little did they know how harsh that first winter would be. But when the spring rains came, they gave thanks.

So, it is in the Christian life – no trial is forever. The spring rains eventually fall. For that we give thanks.

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Image credits: (1) Henry Ford College (2) Thanksgiving Day, Britanica (3) Waverly Church of Christ