Luke 17:26-37 NRSVue

²⁶Just as it was in the days of Noah, so, too, it will be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. ²⁸Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹but on the day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them; ³⁰it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away, and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. ³²Remember Lot’s wife. ³³Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. ³⁴I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.” ³⁷Then they asked him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the eagles will gather.”

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Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
Three apocalyptic visions weave in and out of one another in these chapters of Luke: Jesus’ sense of his own forthcoming Passion and death; his warning of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; and the second coming of Jesus at the end of time.

Reflection
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die.  He does not have much time left. He knows that he faces the ultimate choice soon. Is that why he speaks so vehemently about the need to choose now, and about the insecurity of this life?

Reflection
The ‘end gospels' call on us to trust. Losing and saving our lives is in the hands of God as is all else. Trust is the big call of every relevant relationship. Prayer is a gateway to growth in trust in God.

Reflection
The readings of these days speak of the 'end times' as we bring the liturgical year to a close. I use them as an opportunity to recognise who I am and where I am going: I am created by God and am being drawn to live fully with God.

Reflection
I consider that everything I enjoy – even life itself – is a gift. I humbly give thanks.