First reading 2 John 4-9
The commandment which you have heard since the beginning is to live a life of love
It has given me great joy to find that your children have been living the life of truth as we were commanded by the Father. I am writing now, dear lady, not to give you any new commandment, but the one which we were given at the beginning, and to plead: let us love one another.
To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.
There are many deceivers about in the world, refusing to admit that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. They are the Deceiver; they are the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lost and not get the reward it deserves. If anybody does not keep within the teaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he cannot have God with him: only those who keep to what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.
Responsorial Psalm 118(119):1-2,10-11,17-18
They are happy who follow God’s law.
They are happy whose life is blameless,
who follow God’s law!
They are happy who do his will,
seeking him with all their hearts.
They are happy who follow God’s law.
I have sought you with all my heart;
let me not stray from your commands.
I treasure your promise in my heart
lest I sin against you.
They are happy who follow God’s law.
Bless your servant and I shall live
and obey your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
the wonders of your law.
They are happy who follow God’s law.
Gospel Luke 17:26-37
When the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed
Jesus said to the disciples:
‘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, 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.
‘When that day comes, anyone on the housetop, with his possessions in the house, must not come down to collect them, nor must anyone in the fields turn back either. 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 two will be in one bed: one will be taken, the other left; two women will be grinding corn together: one will be taken, the other left.’ The disciples interrupted. ‘Where, Lord?’ they asked. He said, ‘Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.’
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Life
“Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it, and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.” During the time of Noah and Lot, the gospel tells us that the busyness and concerns of people’s lives took over, and they failed to recognise and respond to God’s voice and message. As a result, they ended up losing the very life they were trying to preserve. Is it not something we see and experience also today? For example, our career or work concerns often take precedence, impacting our physical and mental health; the excessive involvement in social or religious issues outside may prevent us from recognising the needs of those close to us at home; or the constant pursuit of enjoyment or travel may reduce our deeper spiritual sensitivity to God.
Jesus calls us today to be attentive to what truly matters: our relationship with God and loving others, starting with those closest to us. In prayer, let us give Him our attention and allow Him to remind us of where our true life lies.
Reflective question:
What have I understood in today’s prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
