The gospel For Friday, the 32nd week in ordinary time is taken from Luke 17:26 to the 37th verse. Jesus said to his disciples, as it was in the days of Noah, so 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 of 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. 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. It’s clear that the coming of the kingdom of God is mysterious. But one thing is certain.

It is coming. And there are signs that it is coming. And there are ways in which people are called to respond to it coming. And the frightening thing is, so many are not paying attention, so many are not understanding. And this stands as a stark awareness of how easy it is to lose consciousness of what is truly the kingdom of God. Please take a few moments to reflect on these thoughts, and then I will close with a prayer.

Closing prayer Father, over and over again you remind us of how important it is to pay attention to what is around us, to signs and wonders. And you long for us to be engaged in this work of being saved and being brought into fullness. Keep us alert, keep us attentive, keep us filled with hope. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.