By Naresh Namindla csc –
Readings: Wis 13: 1-9; Lk 17: 26-37
Today’s liturgy invites us not to be ignorant of God. The first reading reminds us that those who are ignorant of God are foolish by nature.
The gospel reading says those who were ignorant of God were destroyed in the days of Noah and in Sodom. God always reveals himself to us through creation. The beautiful things created on the earth speak about the beauty and power of God. We are able to recognize God and his works in creation only when we read scriptures daily. If we do not read the scriptures, we become ignorant of God, as Saint Jerome says, “ignorance of scripture is the ignorance of Christ”.
The gospel reading also speaks about the last judgment. It is certain for us to face the judgment. The last judgment will be serious and without partiality. When two people are working in a field, if one is taken, the other is left behind. During the time of Noah and Lot, people were not only ignorant of God but also lived according to their will. This did not please God, so he destroyed them.
Unlike those people of Sodom, we need to grow in faith towards God, in knowing and serving him. By living for him and his word, we become close to God. It is our personal responsibility to recognize God’s grace in our lives. By living in that grace, we become alert and await the last judgment joyfully. Thus, we become part of the kingdom rather than being left behind.