Gospel Reflection for The 30th day of November in the year of Our Lord, 2025

Matthew 24:37-44

37 And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark, 39 And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.

41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left. 42 Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come. 43 But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. 44 Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.

Today, our Lord continues to warn us that we do not know when He will come again. As I have said before, no one knows when Jesus will come again. Anyone who says they do is either mistaken or lying. But, of course, it is also true that no one knows the day of their death. While today’s Gospel is certainly about the “end times”, we also never know when a flood may take our lives or wipe away all we have. That was certainly the case in my hometown last year. A hurricane that should have been no big deal rained so much in such a short time that shallow rivers and creeks rose 30 feet in just a few hours! Entire towns were destroyed.

When it comes to the women grinding at the mill, we may think that this is a message that God may snatch one of them up in a Protestant “Rapture” type of scenario. And, while God can certainly do as He pleases, it is far more relevant to us to consider that at any time, we may die of a heart attack or stroke while working. We focus so intently on our work and in paying our bills, providing for our families, that we rarely stop to think that God may quite literally take us in the blink of an eye.

A friend’s father was a fairly young man. One January morning, he had a massive heart attack and died in their driveway, on his way to work. They found him with his rosary in his hand. He was prepared. Are we? Why speculate and concern ourselves with the “end times” when all of that is beyond our understanding? It is our last moment on this earth that should be of utmost concern. Jesus said that we should let today’s trouble be sufficient and not worry about the future. Have you been to confession recently? Is your rosary in your pocket? Have you prayed today? Did you go to Holy Mass on Sunday? Frankly, I’m failing on several of those points today. I pray I live another day so I can set things right... but, there is no guarantee of that happening!

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Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FWJMD7CL

and

Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK

His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic