Daily Catholic Lectio. Fri, 14 November ’25. One in Two

Daily Catholic Lectio

Fri, 14 November ‘25

Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

Wisdom 13:1-9. Luke 17:26-37

One in Two

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of the coming of the Son of Man — the day that will arrive suddenly, without warning or preparation time. He tells us that on that day, “Two will be in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken, the other left.” These striking images form the heart of today’s theme: “One in Two.”

1. The Mystery of the Ordinary

Jesus points to the times of Noah and Lot. People were eating, drinking, marrying, buying, and selling — life went on as usual. Nothing seemed different. Yet, in the middle of that ordinariness, the unexpected happened. The flood came; fire fell from the sky. The Lord is reminding us that the decisive moments of life do not always arrive with warning bells. The divine judgment or the call to eternity may come amidst the most ordinary rhythms of life — while we work, rest, or share a meal. Holiness must be lived in the ordinary. The one “taken” is not necessarily the one who did more, but the one who lived every moment with readiness, awareness, and fidelity to God. The “one in two” thus points to a difference in disposition — two may share the same space, same work, same life, yet be separated by the inner orientation of their hearts. One is open to God; the other remains absorbed in self.

2. The Danger of Looking Back

Jesus gives a short but piercing command: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Why remember her? Because she looked back. She was saved, yet her heart was still tied to what she left behind. Her longing for the past turned her into a pillar of salt — motionless, lifeless, stuck between what was and what could have been. Lot’s wife teaches us that attachment to the past can destroy our future. Looking back with nostalgia, regret, or curiosity can make us lose the grace of the present. The path of salvation demands a forward movement — eyes fixed on God, heart free from the weight of what is left behind. In contrast, the “one who is taken” is the one who moves forward — whose faith is alive, whose hope is anchored, whose love is active. Faithfulness in the present moment is the mark of readiness for the coming of the Lord.

3. Knowing God and Seeing Rightly

The first reading from the Book of Wisdom reminds us that the visible world — the beauty of the sun, the stars, the sea — should lead us to recognize the Creator. The wise see in creation the reflection of its Maker. The unwise stop at creation and fail to lift their eyes higher. This insight links beautifully with the Gospel: while two may see the same world, one perceives only its surface, the other its divine depth. The one “taken” is the one who sees God in all things and lives accordingly. The one “left” is the one who lives without reference to God, lost in the visible, blind to the invisible.

4. Living the “One in Two” Today

The “one in two” is not about luck or chance. It is about choice and readiness. Every day, we are called to choose between the two paths that run side by side — one leading to life, another to loss; one guided by faith, another by indifference. In a world where people share the same spaces — homes, churches, workplaces — the difference lies in the inner state of the soul. It is possible to live close to someone and yet walk an entirely different spiritual path. What matters is not where we are, but who we are before God. To be “one in two” is to live as the one who listens, believes, and remains vigilant; the one who does not turn back but moves forward with faith; the one who recognizes God in the ordinary and prepares for the extraordinary.

5. Conclusion

Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt because she turned her gaze backward; the disciple of Christ must turn forward with hope. The day of the Son of Man will come, but so will our own final day. What separates “one in two” is not distance, but direction — the direction of the heart.

Let us then live every moment in readiness, seeing God in creation, seeking His will in the present, and setting our eyes toward His Kingdom. For when that day comes, may we be among those who are taken up — found faithful, found forward-looking, found one with the Lord.

“Two will be together; one will be taken.”

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy