The Last Day

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, God 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.
Lk.17:28-30

Jesus tells his disciples to always be ready for the day of judgement, the end of time.

Death has a 100% success rate. We all are going to die. We just don't know exactly when. And this is Jesus' point. We don't need to know when, we just need to be ready. 

I try to live out my day with an eschatological world view. That is, with one eye firmly fixed on judgement day. It sharpens my focus on what is before me, on what love is doing or on what love needs to do. 

Three things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. This is all that matters, really. 

Jesus, help me live out today as though it's my last. I place my trust in you.

God's Kingdom is Here

‘The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There!” for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.’
Lk.17:20,21

When asked about the coming of God's Kingdom, Jesus points away from the calendar and towards the very questioners. The Kingdom of God is not a 'when' event. Rather, it's a 'where' place, and the where is in the midst of us.

This hints at the mystery of the timelessness of God. Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever, is just that... always the same. This places me before Jesus today in just as real a way as he was before the Pharisees in today's Gospel. 

So, when Jesus says the Kingdom of God is in the midst of us, he is telling me as much as he is the questioning Pharisees. What's my response? Yes Lord, you are my king. I choose to be a subject of your kingdom, here, now, today. 

What a privilege Lord, to serve in your kingdom today. Holy Spirit, be my strength and my guide.  

Gratitude

The other nine, where are they? It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’ And he said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’
Lk.17:17-19

Only one of the ten lepers healed by Jesus returns to acknowledge the source of his healing. This required faith, a faith that gave him what the other nine did not receive. Salvation.

Time and again the Gospels record Jesus responding to faith, or lack of it. Faith is the key to miracles and, as shown in today's Gospel, salvation. 

My faith waxes and wanes. One day I'll pray for world peace, the next day I'll shrink from praying for a car park. The grateful leaper shows that gratitude demonstrates faith. 

Today I can be intentional in my gratitude. 

Lord Jesus, you are the source of my joy, hope and peace. Thank you Lord for all you have done, are doing, and are going to do in my life. I place my trust in you.

Merely a Servant

So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.”
Lk.17:10

Jesus describes obedience not as a great virtue but as a duty.

Vainglory is a lovely old word from medieval English. It is derived from the Latin vana gloria ("empty glory"). It describes perfectly a temptation with which I struggle.

The antidote is the humility of a servant. With each success, especially in the field of faith, I am to think, "I am only a servant doing no more than my duty".

I am constantly amazed at how God uses me. 

Lord Jesus, give me a servant's heart. To you be the glory.

Trustworthy

The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great.
Lk.16:10

Jesus classifies money as the tainted, little thing compared to the true riches of heaven. As a "little thing", money is something that tests our trustworthiness.

I recall a past prime minister who, at the high of his public fame, had been cheating on his wife. His fall soon followed. The "little thing" of his marriage proved him untrustworthy for the leading of a nation.

 It's in the little things that I can flex and train my "trustworthy" muscle, building habits that I can apply to all things great or small. 

Jesus, help me build the virtue of trustworthiness.

Mercy Given is Mercy Received

“And how much do you owe?” He said, “A hundred measures of wheat.” He said to him, “Take your bill and write eighty.” 
Lk.16:7

In the parable of the shrewd manager Jesus shows how dispensing mercy and grace can attract mercy and grace.

There is something about mercy that overrides its motivation. In this parable the shrewd manager is clearly attempting to feather his own nest, and with his masters assets. Yet, mercy given is mercy received and it is beautiful regardless. 

I'm reminded of a court case where the mother of a child who was killed by the reckless driving of a young man forgave the young man, not because she wanted to but because she felt obliged to as a Christian. The young man was remorseful, to the extent that he went to high schools in his city to share his story and plead with his peers to not make the mistakes he made.  

In the months following, the young man and the family of the child reconciled. The family started helping the young  man get back on track with his life. He had come from a broken home. The mother is quoted as saying she is so grateful the episode hadn't resulted in two lives being destroyed.

Mercy given is mercy received.

Lost Sheep

Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.
Lk.15:6

Jesus tells the story of a lost sheep being found to illustrate the joy in heaven when a single sinner is saved.

Who among us can't identify with the image of a lost sheep being brought home on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd. But I think there is a wider message from Jesus here. He wants us, the Church, to be good shepherds, out searching for lost sheep and on finding them, to bring them home.

The reality today is that it is the ninety-nine who have drifted off into the wilds and are lost, leaving one sheep in the penfold. We are very good at stroking the wool of that one sheep. We have programs galore to feed and coddle him. Searching for the lost ninety-nine? Not our strength. 

The Church is the one organisation whose primary reason for existing is for the benefit of its non-members. If our parishes aren't making evangelisation (sorry to use the 'e' word) the main focus of all activity then we are failing the Great Commission and are disobedient to Jesus' very clear command. We tend to leave that to the 'missionary priests and nuns'.

Yikes! This is all a bit negative from me. 

There is good news. Some parishes are moving from maintenance to mission. My job is work for my parish being one of them.

Saint Paul the evangelist, please pray for us.