Signs of salvation

The WORD in Other Words by Fr Jose Rizal Santos SVD (Japan) for Friday Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Gospel
Lk 17:26-37

To be able to read the signs that endanger your life or security and to be cautioned   about it is immense help. Everywhere we go, we see symbols or signboards warning   us of imminent danger or risks in street corners, or mountain slopes or deep running   waters. 

People who don‘t care suffer painful consequences at the risk of the loss of their   own lives. Gross negligence or plain ignorance of traffic rules may have catastrophic   or irreparable results, as we know well. So we have to “stop, look and listen!” and   remind ourselves that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” No doubt, it   can prolong our human existence so that we can contribute more to common welfare.   

When it comes to our eternal salvation, we need to inculcate this in our life and   consider it of supreme value. We cannot and should not treat this as irrelevant and   without lasting effect. Eternal salvation is our final destiny when it comes to the   Lord‘s Second and Final Coming at the end of the world. 

The Bible clearly states what  happened in the days of Noah in the Great Deluge. So, with what happened to Lot in the destruction of Sodom! This Gospel cannot be easily ignored. 

But in today‘s world,   even as people are fully warned with signs of eternal damnation and its life-threatening consequences, their minds and thoughts are far from facing their decisions that prepare for the Final Event. Through continuous prayer and trust in His Divine Mercy, may we not waste time to prepare sincerely for this Final Event since we have no idea when He will finally come.