Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 14, 2025
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.”
“Ready to be ready” is a saying you’ll hear constantly in our baseball program. There are no rules posted about when to be on the bus, when to be in the dugout before practice, or when to arrive at class. We simply set expectations, and our players know that when the time comes, they are to be ready to be ready to begin.
Too often in life, we grow comfortable with second chances. We tell ourselves that if we fail a test, we can drop one. If a project isn’t finished, we’ll be given more time. If we aren’t prepared for practice, the coach will let us try again tomorrow. The world teaches us that there’s always a do-over waiting for us. But faith teaches something different.
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus offers a powerful warning about what happens when we are not ready. As Catholics, we believe that this life is a time of preparation, a chance to ready our hearts, minds, and souls for the second coming of Christ and the promise of everlasting life. Sometimes, though, we fall into the trap of thinking that the second coming will be all-inclusive—no questions asked.
Yet Luke reminds us that when that hour comes, there will be no time to collect what we’ve neglected, no chance to reorder our priorities, no opportunity for a second try. Being ready to be ready isn’t just about punctuality or organization. It’s about the posture of the heart—the discipline to live each day as if it matters eternally.
Our faith gives us beautiful opportunities to be ready through confession, reconciliation, penance, and the Eucharist. So, let us strive to pray daily, offer sacrifices, and receive the sacraments. If we let Christ into our hearts, then we will be ready to be ready. Go Irish!
Prayer
Gracious God, there has to be more to life than an unceasing round of eating, drinking, marrying, building, sowing, reaping, buying, and selling. All these things ultimately have their origin in you, so it stands to reason that we should be able to find your presence in those activities. Through Jesus and your Spirit, grant us the graces and the insights needed to see your presence in the here and now of everyday life so that we will not be fatally surprised when your day finally does come. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Joseph Pignatelli was a man who knew that no good deed goes unpunished.
Joseph was born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1737 and was educated in Jesuit schools. He joined the Jesuit order in 1753 despite his family’s opposition and a general distrust of the order in the Church at the time.
He taught in Zaragoza after his ordination. During a time of scarcity and famine, the people of the city gathered to riot and burn the governor’s palace. Joseph used his persuasive powers of speech to calm the people and the disaster was averted.
The people turned on the Jesuits, however—they blamed the priests for instigating the riots, and exiled them from Zaragoza. All of this happened at about the same time that the Jesuit order was being suppressed by Rome.
Joseph lived in exile for two decades and worked for the restoration of the order. He laid the groundwork for the order to be eventually reinstituted in 1814. Popes described him as a priest of “manly and vigorous holiness,” and the “restorer of the Jesuits.” Joseph was canonized in 1954 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Joseph Pignatelli, your patience and persistence restored the Jesuits, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Joseph Pignatelli is in the public domain. Last accessed November 15, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
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