Gospel of the Day
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to 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.”
“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.”
Daily Chores
Jesus speaks to us about His coming and invites us to remain watchful. In the days of Noah and Lot, people carried on with their everyday activities: eating, working, building… The problem was not doing these things, but becoming so absorbed in them that they forgot about God and what truly matters.
We, too, can fall into this trap, filling our days with tasks and worries, putting off prayer, the things of God and loving those closest to us, especially our spouse.
Tasks, household chores and even hobbies can lead us, as spouses, to share a home and responsibilities while losing sight of who we truly are to one another: the son or daughter of God whom He has chosen for the other.
Jesus invites us not to become attached to all these things, not to allow them to become the centre of our lives. Instead, He calls us to make Him our centre and, through our spouse, to draw closer to the Lord by giving ourselves and renouncing our own selfish desires.
Applied to Married Life
Monica: Hi John, I’m home! What a day! I’m exhausted! Do you remember that phone call you were supposed to make today?
John: Yes, but I haven’t had a single minute. I can’t be expected to keep track of everything.
Monica: I’ve got so much on my plate too. Sometimes I feel you don’t see everything I do.
John: Monica, I was about to respond with another complaint, but I don’t want us to end up keeping score of everything we’ve done wrong. I remembered what our mentor couple told us about praying a Hail Mary whenever we start arguing. Forgive me, I’m tired and I spoke to you unkindly.
Monica: Forgive me too. I became defensive because I wanted to be right.
John: How about we spend a little time in prayer and talk about it afterwards?
Monica: Yes. I don’t want the rush and worries of everyday life to make us forget what really matters.
John: Neither do I. I want to learn to let go of my complaints and choose you again, even on the difficult days.
Monica: It’s in these small gestures that we can live out the Gospel: asking for forgiveness, listening to one another and giving ourselves to each other every day.
Mother,
Help us always to keep in our hearts what truly matters: Your Son.
Praised be the Lord!