Have you ever noticed that two people can go through the exact same experience but come out of it completely differently? Two kids raised in the same house, two patients facing the same illness, two friends navigating the same challenge—yet their hearts, their responses, their lives take different turns. That’s what Jesus is pointing to in today’s Gospel (Luke 17:26-37).
Two people are sleeping, but only one is ready. Two are grinding grain, but only one is taken. What’s the difference? It’s not their situation—it’s their hearts. One is living for the kingdom, even in the small things, while the other is not.
The disciples, confused, ask, “Where, Lord?” And Jesus gives them an image that seems strange to us but made perfect sense to them: vultures gathering around a corpse. What He’s saying is this: when you’re living for the kingdom—when you’ve been walking with Him, praying, loving, serving—you’ll know where He is because you’ll recognize the signs. You’ll already be familiar with His presence.
So how do we become those people who are ready, who see the signs, who live for the kingdom? St. John tells us clearly in today’s first reading (2 John 4-9): by walking in the truth and walking in love.
Walking in truth means staying rooted in Christ, even when life throws us twists and turns. It’s about loving as He loved—through our own experiences of joy, sorrow, suffering, and celebration. He walked every road we walk. He shared our pain, our hopes, our struggles. And as we follow Him through these moments, we learn to love more deeply, forgive more easily, and trust more fully.
But it’s not just about us. Jesus reminds us we’re in the fields—side by side with others, sharing life. Our time in the fields is not just work; it’s ministry. We’re called to pray for and speak to those around us, especially those we love. Because whether they know it or not, they’re on the same journey, and they need someone to show them the way.
Finally, let’s not miss this beautiful truth: every ordinary moment is an opportunity for prayer and intimacy with God. Washing dishes, driving to work, caring for kids, running errands—these are not distractions from the kingdom. They are the kingdom. Every task done with love and offered to Christ becomes a step closer to Him.
So let’s take these words to heart. Live the kingdom today, right where you are. Walk in truth, walk in love, and let every moment, big or small, be for Christ. Because when He comes—and He will—you’ll be ready, not because you knew the day or the hour, but because you’ve known Him all along.
Today, we honor St. Albert the Great, a man who lived out the kingdom of God in every moment and every field—literally and figuratively. Known for his brilliance, he embraced the truth that all knowledge, whether scientific or theological, points to Christ, the source of all wisdom. St. Albert didn’t separate the sacred from the ordinary. He saw God’s fingerprints in creation, in the tiniest leaf, and in the grand mysteries of the universe. Like those in the fields or grinding grain in today’s Gospel, he recognized that our work—when done for God—draws us closer to the kingdom.
Albert also walked in love, dedicating his life to guiding others, most notably St. Thomas Aquinas, to see Christ in every question and every answer. He lived as one who recognized the signs of God’s presence, remaining vigilant and alert to the Lord in the mundane and the miraculous. His life reminds us that every field of study, every act of service, every moment of our day can be transformed into an act of worship when done with love and for Christ.
St. Albert teaches us not only to seek the truth but to live it—to walk in truth and love so that the kingdom of God might be visible in us to others. May we take his example to heart and make every moment an offering to the King.
Saint Albert, pray for us.
From the readings on the Feast of Saint Albert the Great, Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time.