Daily Readings - Fri Nov 12 2021
Luke
26"Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.27People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.30"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.31On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.32Remember Lot's wife!33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.34I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.35Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."36Verse omitted from the New International Version37"Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the relationship between creation, judgment, and our ultimate encounter with God. In the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we hear a critique of those who fail to recognize the true God despite the beauty and order of creation. The author laments that people often mistake the works of God’s hands—like the sun, moon, and natural elements—as gods themselves, rather than acknowledging the Creator who surpasses all His creation. This passage reminds us that creation is not an end in itself but a pointer to the One who brought it all into being. It warns against the idolatry of forgetting the transcendent God in favor of lesser, finite realities.
In the Gospel, Jesus uses the examples of Noah’s flood and the destruction of Sodom to warn His listeners about the suddenness of God’s judgment. He emphasizes that life will seem normal—people will be eating, drinking, buying, and selling—right up until the moment of reckoning. Jesus calls His followers to be vigilant and detached from worldly concerns, urging them not to look back or cling to earthly possessions when the time of reckoning comes. The passage concludes with the enigmatic image of eagles gathering where the body is, suggesting that true discipleship requires a radical orientation toward God’s will.
Together, these readings challenge us to live with a deeper awareness of God’s presence and purpose in our lives. While the first reading warns against reducing God to His creation, the Gospel warns against becoming so consumed by the world that we fail to recognize the signs of God’s action. In our daily lives, this means cultivating a sense of detachment, not in the sense of rejecting the world, but in the sense of not being controlled by it. It means seeking God in all things, recognizing His hand in creation, and staying attentive to His call. Ultimately, these readings remind us that our true home is not in this world but in the eternal life that God offers. Let us strive to live with our hearts fixed on Him, ready to respond whenever He calls.