Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
(Wisdom 13:1-9; Luke 17:26-37)
The first reading and the gospel are not intentionally
coordinated in Ordinary Time. However,
today they make an interesting combo.
The first reading speaks of the beginning of God’s creation while the
gospel refers to the fulfilment of salvation history. Believers accept both accounts with faith.
It is possible to deduce the existence of God from creation
as Wisdom claims. However, to say that
God is benevolent because creation is so full of wonder requires faith in
divine revelation. People who experience
trauma from earthquakes or, indeed, from human inhumanity will have difficulty
accepting a good God.
The coming of the Son of man, that is Jesus Christ, puzzles people
today as much as those of gospel times. Jesus’
contemporaries ask when and where it will take place. We are just as interested in how it will
happen. Some today, finding the whole
idea fantastical, have given up hope for it taking place at all. However, we keep the faith knowing that both
individuals and society are stronger with the expectation of judgment and
reward in the end.
