Nov. 15, 2013 Friday: 32nd Week in Ordinary C

What does Jesus mean when he says that one person will be taken and another left? God judges each person individually on how they have responded to his mercy and his gracious invitation to accept or reject his kingship – to either live as loyal citizens or as traitors of his kingdom. We cannot pass off personal responsibility and accountability for how we have lived our lives to someone else, such as a close friend, spouse, or family member. No one can discharge his or her duty by proxy or by association with someone else. The good news is that God gives grace and help to all who seek him with faith and trust in his mercy. The Lord Jesus freely gives us his Holy Spirit so that we may have the wisdom, help, and strength we need to turn away from sin and to embrace God's way of love, righteousness, and holiness. The Lord's warning of judgment is a cause for dismay for those who have not heeded his warning and are now unprepared, but it brings joyful hope to those who eagerly anticipate the Lord's return in glory.

God's judgment is good news for those who are ready to meet him. Their reward is God himself, the source and author of all that is good  – truth, beauty, love, and everlasting life. The people in Noah's time ignored the Lord's warning of impending judgment. They missed the boat, literally! Whose boat are you taking – the world's boat to short-lived success and happiness or God's boat to an eternal kingdom and bliss with him? Those whose hope is firmly anchored in heaven will not be disappointed when God's judgment comes. They rejoice even now that they will see the Lord in his glory! Is your hope firmly placed in God and his kingdom?

Don Schwager, www.dailyscripure.net