Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 495
Lectionary: 495
[Chosen Lady:]
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth
just as we were commanded by the Father.
But now, Lady, I ask you,
not as though I were writing a new commandment
but the one we have had from the beginning:
let us love one another.
For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;
this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
in which you should walk.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.
Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for
but may receive a full recompense.
Anyone who is so “progressive”
as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God;
whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.
I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth
just as we were commanded by the Father.
But now, Lady, I ask you,
not as though I were writing a new commandment
but the one we have had from the beginning:
let us love one another.
For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;
this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning,
in which you should walk.
Many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.
Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for
but may receive a full recompense.
Anyone who is so “progressive”
as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God;
whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.
Responsorial Psalm PS 119:1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18
R. (1b) Blessed are they who follow the law of the
Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
With all my heart I seek you;
let me not stray from your commands.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Be good to your servant, that I may live
and keep your words.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Open my eyes, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
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.”
“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: "One will be taken and the other
left"
What can nature teach
us about the return of the Lord Jesus on the day of final judgment at the end
of the world? Jesus quoted a familiar proverb to his audience: Where
the body is, there the eagles (or vultures) will be gathered together.
Eagles, like vultures, are attracted to carrion - the carcass of dying or dead
animals. The Book of Job describes the eagle spying out its prey from afar (Job
39:29). The eagles swoop to catch their prey when the conditions are right,
especially if the prey is exposed and vulnerable to a surprise attack. Severely
weakened or dying prey have no chance of warding off forces that can destroy
and kill.
Sign of the
gathering eagles and vultures
What's the point of this analogy? It's inevitable that some life-threatening or life-changing event or cause will take place when the necessary conditions are fulfilled. The return of the Lord Jesus is certain, but the time is unknown. The Day of the Lord's judgment and final verdict will come swiftly and unexpectedly. Jesus warns his listeners to not be caught off guard when that day arrives. It will surely come in God's good time!
What's the point of this analogy? It's inevitable that some life-threatening or life-changing event or cause will take place when the necessary conditions are fulfilled. The return of the Lord Jesus is certain, but the time is unknown. The Day of the Lord's judgment and final verdict will come swiftly and unexpectedly. Jesus warns his listeners to not be caught off guard when that day arrives. It will surely come in God's good time!
Those we accept
Jesus Christ as Lord will enter his everlasting kingdom
What does Jesus mean when he says that one person will be taken and another left? God judges each person individually on how they have responded to his mercy and his gracious invitation to accept or reject his kingship - to either live as citizens or as enemies of his kingdom. We cannot pass off personal responsibility and accountability for how we have lived our lives to someone else, such as a close friend, spouse, or family member. No one can discharge his or her duty by proxy or by association with someone else.
What does Jesus mean when he says that one person will be taken and another left? God judges each person individually on how they have responded to his mercy and his gracious invitation to accept or reject his kingship - to either live as citizens or as enemies of his kingdom. We cannot pass off personal responsibility and accountability for how we have lived our lives to someone else, such as a close friend, spouse, or family member. No one can discharge his or her duty by proxy or by association with someone else.
The good news is that
God gives grace and help to all who seek him with faith and trust in his mercy.
The Lord Jesus freely gives us his Holy Spirit so that we may have the wisdom,
help, and strength we need to turn away from sin and to embrace God's way of
love, righteousness, and holiness. The Lord's warning of judgment is a cause
for dismay for those who have not heeded his warning and are now unprepared,
but it brings joyful hope to those who eagerly anticipate the Lord's return in
glory.
The choice we
make now - for or against Christ - will determine our future destination on the
day judgment
God's judgment and final verdict is good news for those who are ready to meet him. Their reward is God himself, the source and author of all that is good - truth, beauty, love, and everlasting life. The people in Noah's time ignored the Lord's warning of impending judgment. They missed the boat, literally! Whose boat are you taking - the world's boat to short-lived success and happiness or God's boat to an eternal kingdom and bliss with him? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when God's judgment and verdict comes. They rejoice even now that they will see the Lord in his glory! Is your hope firmly placed in God and his kingdom?
God's judgment and final verdict is good news for those who are ready to meet him. Their reward is God himself, the source and author of all that is good - truth, beauty, love, and everlasting life. The people in Noah's time ignored the Lord's warning of impending judgment. They missed the boat, literally! Whose boat are you taking - the world's boat to short-lived success and happiness or God's boat to an eternal kingdom and bliss with him? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when God's judgment and verdict comes. They rejoice even now that they will see the Lord in his glory! Is your hope firmly placed in God and his kingdom?
"Lord Jesus
Christ, I place all my hope in you because you have redeemed the world by your
death on the cross and by your victory over the grave. Help me to never lose
sight of the goal of heaven that I may live each day in joyful anticipation of
your return in glory."
 Living My Encounter with Christ |
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November 14,
2014. Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
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By Father Edward
Hopkins, LC
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, a person who is
on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get
them, and likewise a person 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."
Introductory
Prayer: I believe in you, Lord,
my companion and strength. I believe that you come out to meet me each day,
asking me to depend more on you and less on creatures. I hope in you, Lord,
as the one who fills my longing to love and be loved. I love you here and now
with my prayer and with my desire to be faithful and generous in the little
things you ask of me.
Petition: Lord, help me to put you first in my life.
1. They Were
Eating and Drinking: In the time
of Noah and of Lot, God’s judgment was said to come down upon man. Yet the
real moment of judgment for each one of us comes immediately upon our own
death. It is then that the kingdom will be fully revealed to us, and it will
be decided whether we will be part of it or not. But it is in the course of
my own life that my option for being received into the kingdom is decided.
God comes to me today. How will I respond? My response now and each day
determines my eternal place in the kingdom.
2. Do Not Return
to What Was Left Behind: In most
disasters people have little chance to collect belongings; those who try are
often lost as a result. The same will be true of the Final Judgment – or at
our own death; when Jesus comes, will I be ready? What do I most cherish?
What I must hold on to is my relationship with Christ. And this implies in so
many ways losing “my life” here. Do I live with the attitude of losing my
life a little more each day, detaching myself from things, activities and
people, so as to be freer to love, serve and be with Christ?
3. Where the Body Is? “Where Lord?” the disciples ask; where will the day of the Son of man take place? It will take place, says Jesus, wherever you are. Whether we die and encounter Christ in a personal judgment or are alive to encounter the Lord at his Second Coming and the Final Judgment, the reality is the same. Standing next to a saint or a sinner will not alter our fate. Who we know or what contacts we have will do little. Where we are in our relationship with Christ will be the only real determining factor. Where am I, Lord, today, in relationship with you? May this be my only concern!
Conversation with
Christ: Lord Jesus, increase my
desire to live my life in close relation with you. Order all my activities
according to your will, and my relationships according to your heart. “I want
whatever you want, because you want it, the way you want it, as long as you
want it” (Prayer of Pope Clement XI).
Resolution: I will give priority to my relationship with
Christ. I will make prayer my first act today before every meal.
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, LUKE 17:26-37(2
John 4-9; Psalm 119)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it" (v 33).
READING: Throughout salvation history, the prophets warned the people of God's imminent judgment, yet they ignored these messengers of God. In Noah's day, the people continued with their ordinary activities right up to the moment the flood engulfed them (Gn 6-7). Abraham's nephew Lot had to be dragged from the city of Sodom because he did not heed the warnings of its impending destruction (19:16). Jesus alerted his followers to flee Jerusalem at the first sign of the city's coming destruction. When Jerusalem fell in 70 CE, thousands died in the siege while those who heeded Jesus' counsel fled to Pella and were saved. God's judgment swiftly separated the righteous from the unjust. Those who trusted in God would find life everlasting.
REFLECTING: Do I heed the warnings of today's prophets?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to place my life in your hands.
Friday 14 November 2014
Day of penance.
2 John 4-9. Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord!—Ps
118(119):1-2, 10-11, 17-18. Luke 17:26-37.
‘Those who try to save
their life will lose it.’
Jesus warns his followers
of the consequences of being unprepared at the time of his Second Coming by
reminding us of the demise of the people at the time of Noah and Lot. Why were
they unprepared for God’s action in their lives? Busyness about many things.
Jesus longs for us to be smart, to be awake and focus on the essentials of
life, letting go of the non-essentials.
Perhaps we can learn from
those who have lived through near-death experiences and have come to know what
are the essential things: a simpler life style, loving relationships, care for
others, letting go of trivial material things. Jesus, help us to recognise what
is life-giving and give us courage to change.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Prioritize Your Time
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Let’s make sure we have our priorities straight—with Jesus,
family, and work, in that order. If we love Jesus, we must spend quality time
with Him. Eliminate excuses and ask yourself what is really important.
November
14
St. Gertrude the Great
(1256?-1302)
St. Gertrude the Great
(1256?-1302)
Gertrude, a Benedictine nun in Helfta, Saxony, was one of the
great mystics of the 13th century. Together with her friend and teacher St.
Mechtild, she practiced a spirituality called "nuptial mysticism,"
that is, she came to see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was
a deeply personal union with Jesus and his Sacred Heart, leading her into the
very life of the Trinity.
But this
was no individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy, where
she found Christ. In the liturgy and in Scripture, she found the themes and
images to enrich and express her piety. There was no clash between her personal
prayer life and the liturgy.
Comment:
Gertrude's life is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical, ordinary or mystical, always personal.
Gertrude's life is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical, ordinary or mystical, always personal.
Quote:
"Lord, you have granted me your secret friendship by opening the sacred ark of your divinity, your deified heart, to me in so many ways as to be the source of all my happiness; sometimes imparting it freely, sometimes as a special mark of our mutual friendship. You have so often melted my soul with your loving caresses that, if I did not know the abyss of your overflowing condescensions, I should be amazed were I told that even your Blessed Mother had been chosen to receive such extraordinary marks of tenderness and affection" (Adapted from The Life and Revelations of Saint Gertrude).
"Lord, you have granted me your secret friendship by opening the sacred ark of your divinity, your deified heart, to me in so many ways as to be the source of all my happiness; sometimes imparting it freely, sometimes as a special mark of our mutual friendship. You have so often melted my soul with your loving caresses that, if I did not know the abyss of your overflowing condescensions, I should be amazed were I told that even your Blessed Mother had been chosen to receive such extraordinary marks of tenderness and affection" (Adapted from The Life and Revelations of Saint Gertrude).
Patron Saint of:
West Indies
West Indies
LECTIO DIVINA:
LUKE 17,26-37
Lectio:
Friday, November 14, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God of power and mercy,
protect us from all harm.
Give us freedom of spirit
and health in mind and body
to do your work on earth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
protect us from all harm.
Give us freedom of spirit
and health in mind and body
to do your work on earth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Luke 17,26-37
Jesus said to his disciples: 'As it was in Noah's day, so will
it also be in the days of the Son of man. People were eating and drinking,
marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and
the Flood came and destroyed them all.
It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of man to be revealed.
'When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.
I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.'
The disciples spoke up and asked, 'Where, Lord?' He said, 'Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.'
It will be the same as it was in Lot's day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of man to be revealed.
'When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.
I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together, one will be taken, the other left.'
The disciples spoke up and asked, 'Where, Lord?' He said, 'Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.'
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel continues the reflection on the coming of the
end of time and presents to us the words of Jesus about how to prepare
ourselves for the coming of the Kingdom. This was an affair which produced much
discussion at that time. God is the one who determines the hour of the coming
of the end of time. But the time of God (kairós) is not measured according to
the time of our clock (chronos). For God one day can be equal to one thousand
years, and one thousand years equal to one day (Ps 90, 4; 2 P 3, 8). The time
of God goes by invisibly in our time, but independently of us and of our time.
We cannot interfere in time, but we have to be prepared for the moment in which
the hour of God becomes present in our time. It could be today, it could be in
one thousand years. What gives us security is not to know the hour of the end
of the world, but the certainty of the presence of the Words of Jesus present
in our life. The world will pass, but the word of God will never pass (cf. Is
40, 7-8).
• Luke 17, 26-29: “As it was in the day of Noah and of Lot. Life goes by normally: eating, drinking, getting married, buying, selling, sowing, harvesting. Routine can include so much that we do not succeed to think about anything else. And the consumerism of the neo-liberal system contributes to increase in many of us that total lack of attention to the more profound dimensions of life. We allow the moths to enter into the beam of faith which holds up the more profound dimensions of life. When the storm destroys the house, many of us blame the carpenter: “It was badly made!” In reality, it crumbled down due to our continual lack of attention. The reference to the destruction of Sodom, as a figure of what will happen at the end of time, is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the years 70’s AD (cf. Mk 13, 14).
• Luke 17, 30-32: So it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. “So it will be in the days when the Son of Man will reveal himself”. It is difficult for us to imagine the suffering and the trauma that the destruction of Jerusalem caused in the communities, both of the Jews and of the Christians. In order to help them to understand and to face this suffering Jesus uses a comparison taken from life: “When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back”. The destruction will take place so rapidly that it is not worth while to go down to look for something in the house (Mk 13, 15-16). “Remember Lot’s wife” (cf. Gn 19, 26), that is do not look back, do not lose time, decide and advance, go ahead: it is a question of life or death.
• Luke 17, 33: To lose one’s life in order to save it. “Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it, and anyone who loses it will keep it safe”. Only the person who has been capable of giving himself/herself completely to others will feel totally fulfilled in life. Anyone who preserves life for self alone loses it. This advice of Jesus is the confirmation of the most profound human experience: the source of life is found in the gift of life. In giving one receives. “In all truth I tell you: unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies it yields a rich harvest”. (Jn 12, 24). The motivation which Mark’s Gospel adds is important: “for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel” (Mk 8, 35). Saying that no one is capable of preserving his life by his own efforts, Jesus recalls the Psalm in which it is said that nobody is capable of paying the price for the ransom of his life: “No one can redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God. The price for himself is too high, it can never be that he will live on for ever and avoid the sight of the abyss”. (Ps 49, 8-10).
• Luke 17, 34-36: Vigilance. “I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together one will be taken, the other left”. This recalls the parable of the ten Virgins. Five were prudent and five were foolish (Mt 25, 1-11). What is important is to be prepared. The words “One will be taken and the other left” recall the words of Paul to the Thessalonians (1Th 4, 13-17), when he says that with the coming of the Son of Man, we will be taken to Heaven at the side of Jesus. These words “left behind” furnished the title of a terrible and dangerous romance of the fundamentalist extreme right of the United States: “Left Behind! This is a romance which has nothing to do with the real sense of the words of Jesus.
• Luke 17, 37: Where and when? “The disciples asked: Where, Lord?” “And Jesus answered: Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather”. This is an enigmatic response. Some think that Jesus recalled the prophecy of Ezekiel, taken up in the Apocalypse, in which the prophet refers to the final victorious battle against the force of evil. The birds of prey or the vultures will be invited to eat the flesh of the bodies (Ez 39, 4. 17-20; Rv 19, 17-18). Others think that it is a question of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where the final judgment will take place according to the prophecy of Joel (Ga 4, 2.12). Others think that it is simply a question of a popular proverb which meant more or less what our proverb says: “Where there is smoke, there is also fire!”
• Luke 17, 26-29: “As it was in the day of Noah and of Lot. Life goes by normally: eating, drinking, getting married, buying, selling, sowing, harvesting. Routine can include so much that we do not succeed to think about anything else. And the consumerism of the neo-liberal system contributes to increase in many of us that total lack of attention to the more profound dimensions of life. We allow the moths to enter into the beam of faith which holds up the more profound dimensions of life. When the storm destroys the house, many of us blame the carpenter: “It was badly made!” In reality, it crumbled down due to our continual lack of attention. The reference to the destruction of Sodom, as a figure of what will happen at the end of time, is a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the years 70’s AD (cf. Mk 13, 14).
• Luke 17, 30-32: So it will also be in the days of the Son of Man. “So it will be in the days when the Son of Man will reveal himself”. It is difficult for us to imagine the suffering and the trauma that the destruction of Jerusalem caused in the communities, both of the Jews and of the Christians. In order to help them to understand and to face this suffering Jesus uses a comparison taken from life: “When that Day comes, no one on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back”. The destruction will take place so rapidly that it is not worth while to go down to look for something in the house (Mk 13, 15-16). “Remember Lot’s wife” (cf. Gn 19, 26), that is do not look back, do not lose time, decide and advance, go ahead: it is a question of life or death.
• Luke 17, 33: To lose one’s life in order to save it. “Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it, and anyone who loses it will keep it safe”. Only the person who has been capable of giving himself/herself completely to others will feel totally fulfilled in life. Anyone who preserves life for self alone loses it. This advice of Jesus is the confirmation of the most profound human experience: the source of life is found in the gift of life. In giving one receives. “In all truth I tell you: unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies it yields a rich harvest”. (Jn 12, 24). The motivation which Mark’s Gospel adds is important: “for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel” (Mk 8, 35). Saying that no one is capable of preserving his life by his own efforts, Jesus recalls the Psalm in which it is said that nobody is capable of paying the price for the ransom of his life: “No one can redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God. The price for himself is too high, it can never be that he will live on for ever and avoid the sight of the abyss”. (Ps 49, 8-10).
• Luke 17, 34-36: Vigilance. “I tell you, on that night, when two are in one bed, one will be taken, the other left; when two women are grinding corn together one will be taken, the other left”. This recalls the parable of the ten Virgins. Five were prudent and five were foolish (Mt 25, 1-11). What is important is to be prepared. The words “One will be taken and the other left” recall the words of Paul to the Thessalonians (1Th 4, 13-17), when he says that with the coming of the Son of Man, we will be taken to Heaven at the side of Jesus. These words “left behind” furnished the title of a terrible and dangerous romance of the fundamentalist extreme right of the United States: “Left Behind! This is a romance which has nothing to do with the real sense of the words of Jesus.
• Luke 17, 37: Where and when? “The disciples asked: Where, Lord?” “And Jesus answered: Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather”. This is an enigmatic response. Some think that Jesus recalled the prophecy of Ezekiel, taken up in the Apocalypse, in which the prophet refers to the final victorious battle against the force of evil. The birds of prey or the vultures will be invited to eat the flesh of the bodies (Ez 39, 4. 17-20; Rv 19, 17-18). Others think that it is a question of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where the final judgment will take place according to the prophecy of Joel (Ga 4, 2.12). Others think that it is simply a question of a popular proverb which meant more or less what our proverb says: “Where there is smoke, there is also fire!”
4) Personal questions
• Am I from the time of Noah or from the time of Lot?
• A Romance of the extreme right. How do I place myself before this political manipulation of the faith in Jesus?
• A Romance of the extreme right. How do I place myself before this political manipulation of the faith in Jesus?
5) Concluding prayer
How blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
who walk in the Law of Yahweh!
Blessed are those who observe his instructions,
who seek him with all their hearts. (Ps 119,1-2)
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