Friday of the Thirty-second Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 495
Lectionary: 495
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?
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
PsalmPS 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.
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.
AlleluiaLK 21:28
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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."
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Albert the Great, please
go here.
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 (Luke 17:37). 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? When the day of God's final judgment and vindication comes, the scene and location will be obvious to all. Those who have rejected God and refused to believe in his Son the Lord Jesus Christ will perish on the day of judgment - just like the beasts of prey who are cut off from the land of the living. The Lord Jesus will vindicate those who have believed in him and he will reward them with everlasting joy and happiness in his kingdom. The return of the Lord Jesus at the close of this present age 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? When the day of God's final judgment and vindication comes, the scene and location will be obvious to all. Those who have rejected God and refused to believe in his Son the Lord Jesus Christ will perish on the day of judgment - just like the beasts of prey who are cut off from the land of the living. The Lord Jesus will vindicate those who have believed in him and he will reward them with everlasting joy and happiness in his kingdom. The return of the Lord Jesus at the close of this present age 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
who 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 everyone individually on how each person has responded to his gracious mercy and invitation to accept his Son as Lord and Ruler over all. The Lord Jesus gives us personal freedom to accept or reject him as Lord and Savior. We are free to live as citizens of his kingdom or to choose for the kingdom of darkness that stands in opposition to God and his rule. No one can pass off their personal responsibility to someone else - no matter how close the ties may be in this present life. We will each have to give an account to the Judge of All for how we have accepted or rejected him as our lord and savior.
What does Jesus mean when he says that one person will be taken and another left? God judges everyone individually on how each person has responded to his gracious mercy and invitation to accept his Son as Lord and Ruler over all. The Lord Jesus gives us personal freedom to accept or reject him as Lord and Savior. We are free to live as citizens of his kingdom or to choose for the kingdom of darkness that stands in opposition to God and his rule. No one can pass off their personal responsibility to someone else - no matter how close the ties may be in this present life. We will each have to give an account to the Judge of All for how we have accepted or rejected him as our lord and savior.
The
good news is that the Lord Jesus freely offers each one of us the grace,
strength, and help we need to turn to him to receive pardon for our sins and
healing for our minds and hearts so we can embrace his good will for our lives
and find the way to our heavenly Father's home. The Lord Jesus gives us his
Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in his wisdom, truth, and love. The Holy
Spirit helps us to turn away from sin and rebellion and to embrace God's way of
love, righteousness (moral goodness), and holiness.
The
Lord's warning of judgment is motivated by his love for each one of us. He does
not desire the death of any one (Ezekiel 18:23 and 33:11). He bids us to choose
for life rather than death - for goodness and righteousness rather than sin and
evil (Deuteronomy 30:19). The Lord's 'Day of Judgment' will bring terror and
disaster for those who have not heeded his warning or who have refused his
gracious help. The Day of the Lord's Return will be a cause for great joy and
vindication for those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus.
The
choices we make now - for or against Christ - will either lead us on the path
of life or death - heaven or hell
God's Day of Judgment is a cause for great joy and reward for those who have waited with patient hope and longing for the Lord Jesus to return again in glory and power. The people in Noah's time ignored the Lord's warning of judgment because their hearts were hardened and they were rebellious towards God. When the great flood swept over the earth, they missed the boat, literally! Whose boat or safety net are you staking your life on - the world's life-raft to short-lived success and happiness or to the indestructible Ark of God whose foundation is Jesus Christ and his victorious cross? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when the day of final judgment comes. They rejoice even now that their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20) and they look with eager longing for the day when they will see the Lord face to face (Revelation 22:4). Is your hope firmly placed in the Lord Jesus and his return in glory?
God's Day of Judgment is a cause for great joy and reward for those who have waited with patient hope and longing for the Lord Jesus to return again in glory and power. The people in Noah's time ignored the Lord's warning of judgment because their hearts were hardened and they were rebellious towards God. When the great flood swept over the earth, they missed the boat, literally! Whose boat or safety net are you staking your life on - the world's life-raft to short-lived success and happiness or to the indestructible Ark of God whose foundation is Jesus Christ and his victorious cross? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when the day of final judgment comes. They rejoice even now that their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20) and they look with eager longing for the day when they will see the Lord face to face (Revelation 22:4). Is your hope firmly placed in the Lord Jesus and his return in glory?
"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."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Those working in the field are sowing
the Word of God, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'He
that will be on the housetop, do not let him go down. He that will be in the
field, do not let him turn back.' How may I understand what is the field unless
Jesus himself teaches me? He says, 'No one putting his hand to the plough
(plow) and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God' (Luke 9:62). The lazy
person sits in the farmhouse, but the industrious person plants in the field.
The weak are at the fireplace, but the strong are at the plough. The smell of a
field is good, because the smell of Jacob is the smell of a full field (Genesis
27:27). A field is full of flowers. It is full of different fruits. Plough your
field if you want to be sent to the kingdom of God. Let your field flower,
fruitful with good rewards. Let there be a fruitful vine on the sides of your
house and young olive plants around your table (Psalm 127:3). Already aware of
its fertility, let your soul, sown with the Word of God and tilled by spiritual
farming, say to Christ, 'Come, my brother, let us go out into the field' (Song
of Solomon 7:11). Let him reply, 'I have come into my garden, my sister, my
bride. I have gathered my vintage of myrrh' (Song of Solomon 5:1). What
is better than the vintage of faith, by which the fruit of the resurrection is
stored and the spring of eternal rejoicing is watered?" (excerpt
from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 8.43.27)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, LUKE 17:26-37
Weekday
(Wisdom 13:1-9; Psalm 19)
Weekday
(Wisdom 13:1-9; Psalm 19)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it" (v. 33).
TO KNOW: 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 looming 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, beyond the Jordan, and were saved. God's judgment swiftly separated the righteous from the unjust. Those who trusted in God would find life everlasting.
TO LOVE: Do I heed the warnings of today's prophets?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to place my life in your hands.
Optional Memorial of Saint Albert the Great, bishop and doctor
of the Church
Albert is traditionally known as Albertus Magnus (Albert the Great). He was born in Swabia within a few years of 1200, the eldest son of a family belonging to the equestrian nobility. He was educated at the University of Padua, a scientific center, and joined the Dominicans as a young man. After completing his studies he went to Paris, about 1240, where he took the degree of Master in Sacred Theology. For the next thirty years he led a life as teacher and administrator, and later as bishop of Ratisbon. His printed works fill thirty-eight volumes and cover every field of learning. At Cologne and Paris, Thomas Aquinas was his pupil, and one of Albert’s prophetic missions was to defend some of Thomas's writings against attacks at Paris in 1277. He died in 1280 and was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931.
Friday 15 November 2019
St Albert the Great. Day of penance.
Wisdom 13:1-9. Psalm 18(19):2-5. Luke 17:26-37.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God – Psalm 18(19):2-5
‘Those who seek to preserve their life will lose it’
The disciples must have found these words of Jesus to be
particularly obscure. Then he added, ‘Those who lose their life will save it.’
Even more perplexingly, what does this scripture mean to us in today’s society?
Surely we are not meant to ignore the care of our bodies, our life. A good
diet, physical exercise and adequate sleep are essential elements in healthy
living. Our bodies are a ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’. Of course, we should
maintain them.
The problem may be when either our health or our body image
becomes our main focus. What is our priority—our bodies or God? Do we spend
more time pursuing our creator or what he has created? We are asked to seek
first the kingdom of God. How best can we do that today?
May the Creator in his kindness richly bless us with peace and
encouragement for our days.
Saint Albert the Great
Saint of the Day for November 15
(1206 – November 15, 1280)
Saint Albert the Great’s Story
Albert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican who
decisively influenced the Church’s stance toward Aristotelian philosophy brought
to Europe by the spread of Islam.
Students of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas.
Albert’s attempt to understand Aristotle’s writings established the climate in
which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian
theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious,
honest, and diligent scholar.
He was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of
military rank. He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family
opposition, he entered the Dominican novitiate.
His boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of
all knowledge: natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy,
ethics, economics, politics, and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took
20 years to complete. “Our intention,” he said, “is to make all the aforesaid
parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins.”
He achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and
Cologne, as Dominican provincial, and even as bishop of Regensburg for a short
time. He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and
Bohemia.
Albert, a Doctor of the Church, is the patron of scientists and
philosophers.
Reflection
An information glut faces us Christians today in all branches of
learning. One needs only to read current Catholic periodicals to experience the
varied reactions to the findings of the social sciences, for example, in regard
to Christian institutions, Christian life-styles, and Christian theology.
Ultimately, in canonizing Albert, the Church seems to point to his openness to
truth, wherever it may be found, as his claim to holiness. His characteristic
curiosity prompted Albert to mine deeply for wisdom within a philosophy his
Church warmed to with great difficulty.
Saint Albert the Great is the Patron Saint of:
Medical Technicians
Philosophers
Scientists
Philosophers
Scientists
Lectio Divina: Luke 17:26-37
Lectio Divina
Friday, November 15, 2019
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.”
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 corpse 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 Jesus’ words 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 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 Pet 3:8). The time of God goes by
invisibly in our time, but independently of us and 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, or 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. Isa
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. Our routine can include so much that we do not manage to think about anything else. The consumerism of our time generates in many of us a 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 may be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 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 both Jewish and Christian communities. In order to help them to understand and 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. Gen 19:26): that is, do not look back, do not lose time, decide and go. 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 forever 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 (1Thess 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 meaning of the words of Jesus.
• 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. Our routine can include so much that we do not manage to think about anything else. The consumerism of our time generates in many of us a 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 may be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70 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 both Jewish and Christian communities. In order to help them to understand and 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. Gen 19:26): that is, do not look back, do not lose time, decide and go. 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 forever 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 (1Thess 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 meaning of the words of Jesus.
• Luke 17:37: Where and when? “The disciples asked, Where,
Lord?” And Jesus answered, “Where the corpse is, there too the vultures will
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 (Ezek 39:4, 17-20; Rev
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 (Gal
4:2, 12). Others think that it is simply a variation of a popular proverb which
meant more or less what our contemporary proverb says: “Where there is smoke,
there is 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 respond to this political manipulation of the faith in Jesus?
• A Romance of the extreme right. How do I respond to 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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