The Gospel according to Luke (17:26-37)
“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.”
Reflection: Jesus never fails to say things that cause us to stop and think. This phrase from today’s Gospel is one of those things. He presents us with an apparent paradox. Trying to save your life will be the cause of you losing it, but losing your life will be the way you save it. What does this mean?
This statement especially goes to the heart of trust and surrender. Basically, if we try to direct our lives and our future by our own effort, things will not work out. By calling us to “lose” our life, Jesus is telling us that we must abandon ourselves to Him. We must allow Him to be the one Who directs all things and guides us into His most holy will. This is the only way to save our life. We save it by letting go of our own will and letting God take over.
This level of trust and surrender is very difficult at first. It’s difficult to come to the level of complete trust in God. But if we can do just that, we will be amazed at the fact that God’s ways and plan for our life is far better than we could ever come up with on our own. His wisdom is beyond compare and His solution to all our concerns and problems is perfect.
Action of the Day: Reflect, today, upon how ready and willing you are to give complete control of your life to our merciful God. Do you trust Him enough to let Him take complete control? Make this act of faith in the sincerest way that you can and watch as He begins to preserve you and help you flourish in a way that only God can do.
Audio Reflection:
