Category: Uncategorized

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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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We can feel the tension in today’s Gospel – the fire and brimstone type of preaching we usually hear from Jesus in the Advent season.

And, of course, Advent is near.

During the season of Advent, we often focus on the coming of the Christ-child at Christmas. But we are also supposed to look ahead, to prepare ourselves for the second coming of Jesus.

As the Lord reminds us today, using Noah’s Ark as an example, you and I will know neither the day nor the hour of his coming.

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Noah started building his ark while it was still bright and sunny outside. Once the darkness fell and the floods came, those who were saved were the ones already inside the boat. They prepared for the flood, even when it was nowhere in sight.

Similarly, we should prepare to meet the Lord now, even if we’re not planning on leaving this earth for a while. The truth is, we’re all one diagnosis, one unexpected turn, one phone call away from the flood waters.

Still, the temptation is to push our readiness off until tomorrow. “I’ll pray about the ‘Great Encounter’ tomorrow.” … “I’ll give up my favorite vice tomorrow.” … “I’ll work on improving my relationship with Jesus tomorrow.”

Such an attitude takes God for granted.

“You will know neither the day nor the hour,” the Lord says. 

So why not begin preparing today?

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Image credits: (1) Banknote World (2) The Conversation (3) Adobe Stock

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Gospel: Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There are a few passages in the New Testament that we might call “difficult” to understand. For several reasons, this is one of them.

All Jews live in expectation. Their religion is built upon the promise that God will come and visit his people. This is what the Pharisees are questioning Jesus about today: When is God coming?

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The answer Jesus gives is two-fold.

He says both, “The kingdom of God is among you.”

And, “Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes…so will the Son of Man be in his day.”

There’s a sense of both already and not yet.

The kingdom of God is already present because Jesus is standing in their midst. But we are also living in a state of expectation, because he will come again. 

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There’s a third point that makes this passage worth contemplating today. 

Some scholars not only translate Jesus words as, “the kingdom of God is among you,” but also, “the kingdom of God is within you.”

Meaning, you and I occupy that “in between” time, when we’re called to build up God’s kingdom gesture by gesture. The Lord is already within us. But now we expand his kingdom in the most ordinary of ways – in charity, by forgiveness, through a prayer spoken on another’s behalf.

Whatever you do today, do it for the glory of God.

Help to build up his kingdom gesture by gesture until he comes again.

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Image credits: (1) Got Questions (2) Hearing From Jesus (3) lastapostle

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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 lepers met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, 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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“Where are the other nine?”

What makes today’s Gospel so striking is the fact that the poor are the one’s causing the scandal. Normally it’s the religious elite, tax collectors, prostitutes, or generic sinners who offend Jesus.

But today it’s a group of outcasts, lepers who have spent their entire lives being judged by others, fearfully forced into isolation.

Out of compassion, the Lord does for them what they cannot do for themselves – he heals them. In a sense, he gives them new life. Now they can integrate into society, perhaps finding love and friendship for the first time since their youth.

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These former lepers, now healed, have nothing to offer the Lord but a grateful heart. It’s all Jesus ever wants.

But shockingly, only one out of ten returns to thank him.

This does not mean that the other nine were bad people. Perhaps they were in a state of joyful shock, overwhelmed by their miraculous healing. 

But they became too focused on themselves – on the gift they received – instead of the Giver, who had even more to offer them.

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This is really the story of humanity. We all benefit from the Lord’s goodness. But how often do we return to thank him?

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The Lord offered all of us new life – eternal life – when he washed away our sins in baptism. He continues to wash away our sins every time we approach him. He feeds us with his very Self in the Eucharist.

He strengthens us in time of trial and temptation. He guides our steps, listens to our prayers, fills our hearts with peace. He makes the sun rise daily and fills our land with plenty.

As the Psalmist says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love endures forever.”

Like that single leper who returned to acknowledge Jesus, how might we thank him for all the good he’s done today?

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Image credits: (1) indycrowe (2) Summer Setting, WordPress.com (3) Waverly Church of Christ