when they asked Him, ‘Where, Lord?’

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He said to them,

“Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

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– Luke 17:37 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Once more Jesus is exhorting us to be watchful:

we should never neglect the most important thing in life – eternal salvation.

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"Where?"

Jesus’ second advent will not occur in one specific place

but it will be witnessed and experienced everywhere,

simultaneously,

by everybody.

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Our Lord’s last coming will be something sudden and unexpected,

and it will catch many people unprepared.

Divine judgment will befall mankind without warning.

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When Jesus says,

“Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather”,

He is indicating how terrible that moment will be

for those who, by choosing to live a Godless secular and self-centred life,

will have turned their soul into a decaying corpse.

The vultures, of course, represent the dreadful consequences which await the unprepared.

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It will, on the other hand, be a most momentous and glorious moment

for those who will have lived a life of truth in accordance with God’s commandments

and who will have kept their soul alive with expectant faith, hope and love.

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Jesus’ teaching also has a present urgency about it:

HERE AND NOW we should scrutinise our own conduct,

for the Lord can call us when we least expect.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord, help me keep my soul alive and deliver me from all evil,

that I may one day be with You, in Your glorious presence. Amen.

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