Gospel in Art: They were eating and drinking and marrying

Historical paintings by various artists, in the National Portrait Gallery, London © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 14 November 2025
Luke 17:26-37

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, 'Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot - they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all - so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left.' And they said to him, 'Where, Lord?' He said to them, 'Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'

Reflection on the various portraits

Each of us is caught up in the daily rhythm of life: working, eating, talking, caring, planning. These ordinary things fill our days and, rightly so, they keep life moving forward. Jesus speaks about this in today's Gospel when he mentions people eating and drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building. This is indeed the fabric of everyday life. Yet he also gives us a gentle warning: not to become so absorbed in the routine that we forget to look beyond it. He reminds us that there is more to life than what fills our calendars! One day, everything we do will be seen in a greater light, the light of eternity.

Jesus invites us to bring that eternal perspective into the present. The kingdom of God is not something distant or far off... it is here and now, in the ordinary people and moments that make up our days. The Son of Man is already among us, present in every person we meet. Each encounter, however small, is an opportunity to recognise and serve Christ. So, even as we go about our daily routines, we are called to stay awake to the divine presence moving quietly within them: to see that heaven is already touching earth, through one act of love at a time.

For today's artwork, I've chosen something a little different, simply an image of one of the rooms inside the National Portrait Gallery in London. It shows a collection of portraits: faces from different times, backgrounds, and walks of life. Some are famous; others are almost forgotten. Yet together they remind us of the same truth that today's Gospel teaches: that Christ is present in every person we encounter whatever they look like. Each face, each story, carries something of God's image within it. Walking through that gallery, surrounded by so many portraits and lives, we are invited to look again at those around us, our neighbours, colleagues, friends, even strangers, and to see in them not just human likeness, but the living presence of Jesus among us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-17-26-37-2025/
and
Video: The Art of Remembrance - From The Monuments Men to The Last Post: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/53644