Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Lectionary: 495
Reading 1
Wisdom 13:1-9
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?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 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.
Alleluia
Luke 21:28
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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."
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
Embracing the Present Moment
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.” Luke 17:26–27
As we enter into the final weeks of the liturgical year, we begin to turn our attention to the final coming of Christ. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the example of Noah and Lot. In both of their stories, people were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting and building up, until the very day that the floods came to destroy the earth at the time of Noah and fire rained down from the sky at the time of Lot. Both Noah and Lot were saved, but many others alive at that time met with sudden and unexpected destruction.
Jesus says that the “days of the Son of Man” will be similar to these previous two events. At an unexpected time, Jesus will return to earth, and the Final Judgment will ensue. So His message is clear: Be ready at all times.
Though we are familiar with this teaching of our Lord, spoken many times and in various ways in the Gospels, many people do not heed the message. It is easy to believe that you always have tomorrow to change, and so you give into temptation today. And then tomorrow comes, and the temptation is once again embraced with the thought that you will work on it tomorrow, and henceforth. We can easily go about perpetuating our sins and embracing our temptations while we have the ongoing good intention of changing tomorrow. This is a mistake for two reasons.
First of all, it always remains a possibility that our Lord will indeed come today and that today truly will be the end of the world. Or, it always remains a distinct possibility that your life will come to an end today, suddenly and unexpectedly. If that were to happen, would you be fully ready to stand before the judgment seat of Christ? Most people would not, at least not fully ready. Thus, this should be motivation enough to work tirelessly today to be ready now and every moment hereafter.
But we should also see this prophecy of our Lord as applying to every present moment of every day. Jesus is always coming to us, suddenly and without warning, inviting us to serve Him by grace. This Gospel passage states that “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” This applies to the end of our lives and to the end of the world, but it also applies to every present moment of every day. If we continually seek to lose our lives, meaning, to choose the Heavenly realities over the temporal earthly indulgences we are daily tempted with, then we will also daily experience the grace of salvation, here and now, in every present moment of our lives.
Reflect, today, upon whether or not you regularly seek to lose your life for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Do you continually choose grace, mercy, Heaven, obedience, love, self-sacrifice, compassion, forgiveness and the like, every moment of every day of your life? If so, then our Lord will continually bestow the gift of His saving grace upon you here and now, preparing you for the ultimate moment of judgment. If not, then you will be more like the people of Noah’s and Lot’s time who met with sudden destruction when they least expected it. Live for God now, today, in this moment, and you will be eternally grateful you did.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
FROM PREY TO PRAY
“Wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.” —Luke 17:37
In the world of nature, there is an interesting interplay between predator and prey. A herd of caribou is strong as long as it sticks together. The wolves test and probe the herd, searching for weaknesses and trying to isolate the weak animals from the herd.
There are some similarities between the natural world and the spiritual world. Where the spirit is weak, there Satan attacks. Likewise, where there is decay, strife, or discord among people, there Satan concentrates on picking apart the defenses until his demons have an entry way. “Wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather” (Lk 17:37). “The devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pt 5:8).
Even when the Lord has worked renewal, if spiritual growth does not follow, the renewed area decays (see Lk 11:24-26). Satan and his demons then look “to catch those who have just come free from a life of errors” (2 Pt 2:18). If those people do not seek to grow strong in the Lord, the “vultures gather” (Lk 17:37) and spiritual death is near at hand (see 2 Pt 2:20-22).
Therefore, it is so critical for us to seek to grow daily in Jesus. Ask, seek, knock for the grace to grow (Mt 7:7). Read the Scriptures daily. Go to Mass frequently, daily if possible. To avoid becoming spiritual prey, “never cease praying” (1 Thes 5:17). “Grow strong in your holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20). Be a “repairer of the breach” (Is 58:12) and not the person who makes the breach worse.
Prayer: Father, help me. Give me the grace, energy, and desire to allow You to grow Your new life within me (Phil 2:13).
Promise: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.” —Ps 19:2
Praise: After the death of her husband, St. Elizabeth gave herself entirely to serving the poor. She died at age twenty-four and was canonized just four years later.
Reflection 3
By Fr. Austin NORRIS
(Mumbai, India)
“They were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building”
Today, in the Gospel text, the end times as well as the uncertainty of life is highlighted, not to frighten us, but to keep us fore-armed and focused, ready to meet our Creator. The sacrificial nature of the Gospel is seen in its Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as He leads us by example, to be ever ready to seek and do the Will of God. Constant vigilance and preparedness is the hallmark of the ardent disciple. We cannot just be like people who “were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building” (Lk 17:28). We disciples must be ready and watchful, lest we be lulled into spiritual lethargy by the progress of life from one generation to the next and assume that Jesus won't return after all.
Secularism has taken strong roots in our society. The onslaught of innovation and ready availability of personal goods and services makes us feel self-sufficient and devoid of God’s presence in our lives. It is only when tragedy strikes that we are awakened from our slumber to look at God amidst our “vale of tears...” And we must be thankful for these tragic moments, because they surely must serve to strengthen our faith.
In the recent months, the attacks on Christians in several parts of the world (including my very own country India), may have shaken our faith. But the Holy Father Francis says: “Christians are ultimately hopeful, however, because at the end, Jesus makes a promise that is a guarantee of victory: ‘Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it’ (Lk 17:33).” This is a truth that we can rely on… The powerful witness of our brothers and sisters who lay down their lives for the faith and the witness to Christ shall not be in vain.
And so we labor onwards in the journey of our lives in the sincere hope of meeting our God “in the days of the Son of Man” (Lk 17:30).
Prayers
My ever-present Lord, You come to me always, suddenly and unexpectedly, and so often I do not hear You or perceive Your presence. Please help me to live continually for You and by Your grace, choosing Heavenly realities over temporary indulgences. May I live this way always, meeting You every moment of my life and anticipating that glorious final meeting with You at the time of judgment. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord, I thank you for Your perfect wisdom in ordering the holiness of both angels and humanity. Help me to always seek out those seraphic souls, the special saints, who have reached a glorious level of holiness. Thank You for their witness and thank You for their freely embraced suffering. May the world be continually blessed by their lives. Jesus, I trust in You.
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.
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