The day of the Son of Man

LUKE 17:26-37

JESUS said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it 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 the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person 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. And 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.”

REFLECTION IN THE DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN. The day of the Son of Man also marks the dreaded end of the world. In fact, traditionally this day is accompanied by scary signs especially of heavenly bodies being in disarray. Yet, on the other hand, people go on with their lives unaware of the destruction that awaits them, as what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah.

That day, therefore, comes unexpected; thus, the need to be always prepared and vigilant. And this means to reflect continually on the way we live both as individuals and as communities. This is a sign of wisdom; here lies one’s ability to discern the signs of the times and to act accordingly.

“The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment: if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty” (Abraham Davenport).