32nd Week in Ordinary Time : Friday 17th November 2023

The author of the Book of Wisdom was writing about people who worshipped nature rather than worshipping the Creator. People were amazed by the beauty and power of natural things and treated them like individual gods.

The people of Israel appreciated nature but were called to worship the Lord, the Creator of all that existed.

Today, we understand that the wind, the rain, the sun and the moon, for example, are not gods to be worshipped, but do we place material things above the worship of God? God must be the one whom we worship.

The Pharisees had asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would arrive. Jesus responded that “the kingdom of God is among you.” Jesus continued the conversation with the disciples by mentioning the sudden incidents involving Noah and Lot. People had been going about their ordinary lives. Jesus said the Son of Man would return suddenly as well.

But here is the warning to all of us – we will lose our lives if we try to secure them, but if we give ourselves away in service to God and others, we will find our lives.

Lord, help me to follow the way of Jesus.