Where Vultures Gather: Avoiding the Evils of Gossip and Hate

Another eye-opening reading from the Gospel this morning!

The Bible is truly a Living Word of God that should speak to us daily as the Holy Spirit opens our mind.  

In light of the past years of flooding and fires, I saw this Gospel reading today even more meaningfully. More and more, Jesus' words spoken over 2000 years ago, speak to us today. 

From the Gospel of Luke 17 (26-37):

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking,  marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.

So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind.

Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left."

They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?"  He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."

Now, I do not think I need to explain how the first part of the reading is connecting to floods, fires, accidents, or shootings when people are unexpectedly gone from our lives. I also believe you can see how lives are lost when we try to save our possessions or animals even, and a person loses their own life as a result.

But when priest read "where the vultures gather," for the first time I saw a connection to the vultures today. Circling around what they see as a stinking mess, they pick at and squawk loudly at those who they wish were dead and gone from their lives. We can truly say that there are more and more people who deeply wish ill on someone or something.

Sad indeed, sadder yet is that people are not seeing how hateful they are acting. They see only their right to vent, shout and attack someone who does not share their views.

I love the fact that Pope Francis spoke about the evils of gossiping:

    "Be careful. Gossip, a gossiper is a terrorist. Because with his or her tongue he or she drops a bomb and then leaves. What has been said, that bomb that has been dropped, destroys the reputation of others and the gossiper walks away calmly." 

If we want our world to be a place of paradise and perfection, then it is up to us to live and act as if Jesus is in our lives and King of the Kingdom we want to live in. The attitude and perception about what we have in our life, or who lives around us, makes all the difference. Choose well what you say, think and do this today and every day of your life. Remember that Heaven begins now, and you do not want to be living like those in the days of Noah who scoffed, laughed and said, "Yeah right."  Because the rains came and the doors closed. Don't be one who is left behind.