Reading 1 Wis 13:1-9
All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.
Now if out of joy in their beauty they thought them gods,
let them know how far more excellent is the Lord than these;
for the original source of beauty fashioned them.
Or if they were struck by their might and energy,
let them from these things realize how much more powerful is he who made them.
For from the greatness and the beauty of created things
their original author, by analogy, is seen.
But yet, for these the blame is less;
For they indeed have gone astray perhaps,
though they seek God and wish to find him.
For they search busily among his works,
but are distracted by what they see, because the things seen are fair.
But again, not even these are pardonable.
For if they so far succeeded in knowledge
that they could speculate about the world,
how did they not more quickly find its Lord?
Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5ab
R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
Gospel Lk 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."
Meditation: Luke 17:26-37
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man.” (Luke 17:26)
Do you remember the radio preacher who predicted that the apocalypse would come this past May? He was one in a very long line of doomsday prophets warning the rest of humanity to repent or face the consequences on a specific date and time. But Jesus was very clear that no one —not even himself — knows when the end will come.
This kind of unpredictability can frighten us. Like a child wondering if he will get caught stealing from the cookie jar, we may fear that we’ll be caught red-handed in some misdeed at the moment when Jesus comes back.
So how can we be sure we’ll survive that day? We may try to keep ourselves locked away so that we don’t get into any mischief. But that usually is not a realistic approach. We still have to live in this world and face all the temptation that is out there. So what’s the answer?
As anyone who plays sports will tell you, the best defense is a good offense. Don’t worry about the world! Don’t worry about temptation! Instead, begin every day with a strong, can-do attitude.
When you wake up, proclaim: “Christ himself lives in me, and he is my hope of glory.” At different points throughout the day, take a short break for prayer and remind yourself: “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” And when you do feel tempted, make St. Paul’s statement of faith your own: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Philippians 4:13).
Never forget that there is a God who deeply loves you and really wants to bring you to heaven. He delights in you and is eagerly looking forward to the day when you are united with him. So practice coming into his presence. Get into the habit of saying no to sin and temptation. As you do, fear over the Second Coming will give way to eager expectation and a joy-filled hope. After all, you will be coming home to the One who has loved you from before time began!
“Lord, I know I am drawn to this world. Help me to be drawn even more powerfully to you. Thank you for being faithful and true to me!”
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