Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Last week, I took the boys to Chaminade Julienne to see the fall play, Clue. Without spoiling it, the show is set at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy, where he admits to blackmailing his guests, Mrs. Peacock, Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, professor Plum, Mrs. White, and Col. Mustard. When Mr. Boddy turns up dead, everyone is a suspect, and they are tasked with trying to figure which one of them is the killer. Needless to say, the boys loved the play and we subsequently were obligated to teach them how to play the board game this week. It’s fun to feel like a detective, looking for clues to the mystery.
Our readings today call on us to have a clue. We read, “All men [are] by nature foolish who [are] in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen [do] not succeed in knowing him who is” (Wis 13:1). In the gospel, Jesus issues a very direct warning about eating, drinking, buying, selling--enveloped in the motions and activities of the world. All of the partying and celebrating has us focused on ourselves, completely unprepared for the kingdom of God. The gospel verse uses the language, “stand erect and raise your heads” (Lk 21:36); pay attention, stay focused, love one another, prepare your hearts.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The devil can quote Scripture for his purpose; and the text of the Scripture which he now most commonly quotes is, ‘The kingdom of God is within you.’ That text has...served to identify self-satisfaction with the peace that passes all understanding.” It has us caring about the kingdom of Me rather than the kingdom of God. It is the ego-centric, self-serving attitude of the lost. Jesus compares our behavior to the time of Noah and also the time of Lot. “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man”. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and partying, right up to the time of the flood, ignoring all of the warnings. The flood came and destroyed them all; they didn’t have a clue. The end had arrived but they weren’t paying attention enough to see it coming; they were unprepared.
What will be our story? What is our flood that will destroy the world as we know it? Regardless of the answer, do we have a clue about the glory of God? Are we preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord? What if we knew what was coming, and yet do nothing about it; we adapt or prepare in no way? This is what happened to the people in times of Noah and Lot and, Jesus suggests, is coming upon the people in his own time. It is true for us too. Are we prepared for the Lord’s coming? How are we aligning our lives to the Gospel message? May we seek to configure our lives to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus. Lord, help me to have a clue; that clue is you.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer