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Gospel: Luke 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, 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Can you feel the tension in today’s Gospel? It’s the fire and brimstone, end of the world, style of preaching that we usually hear from Jesus during the Advent season, when we not only await his birth at Christmas, but also his coming at the end of time.
Of course, Advent is near.
So, what is the Lord saying to us?
Prepare for his coming while we can.
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“As it was in the days of Noah,” Jesus says, “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 Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
Noah built his ark on solid ground while it was still bright and sunny. Some people must’ve thought he was crazy; flood waters were nowhere to be found!
But when darkness fell and the floods came, the only ones who were saved were those who heeded Noah’s warning and were already inside the boat.
The rest were swept away.
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Similarly, we shouldn’t need the yearly reminder of Advent to prepare for Christ’s coming. We should live each day as if it’s our last.
Tell family and friends we love them. Be generous to the poor. Spend a few precious moments on our knees each day. Read a page or two in the bible.
“For you will know neither the day nor the hour,” Jesus says.
And, in the end, it doesn’t matter.
Not if we’re living as we should.
Come, Lord Jesus.
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Image credits: (1) Texas Mutual (2) The Conversation (3) Adobe Stock