Daily Reflection

There is a big difference between waiting and being ready. We wait for buses, appointments, messages, holidays. Waiting can be passive. But Jesus does not tell His disciples simply to wait.

There is something almost uncomfortable about today’s Gospel because the man who comes to Jesus does not seem to be asking a bad question. He wants his share of the inheritance.

We often hear today’s Gospel as if Jesus is simply giving us a lesson about Church and State, taxes and religion.

There is something very striking in today’s Gospel. Jesus tells His disciples that there will be moments when they are brought before authorities, questioned, pressured, maybe even threatened.

There is something so tiring about pretending. Pretending that everything is fine. Pretending that we are stronger than we are.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is speaking to people who know the Scriptures and yet somehow they have missed God. That is scary, because it means it is possible to be religious and still resist conversion.

There is a story about a man who spent hours every week polishing the glass windows of his house. He cleaned them until they shone.

There is something almost uncomfortable about today’s Gospel. Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee, and before the meal the Pharisee is surprised that Jesus does not perform the usual ritual washing.

There is something very human in today’s Gospel. The crowd wants a sign. They want Jesus to prove Himself. And if we are honest, we do the same thing.

There is something beautiful in our readings today: God prepares a feast. Isaiah speaks of “a feast of rich food,” a place where tears are wiped away and death is destroyed. Then Jesus tells the story of a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
There is something beautiful in the way the woman speaks in today’s Gospel. She looks at Jesus and cries out, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” In other words, she is saying, “What an extraordinary Son.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says something that can sound strange at first. He speaks about an unclean spirit leaving a person, wandering, and then coming back. And when it returns, it finds the house “swept and put in order.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the story of a man knocking on his friend’s door at midnight, asking for bread. The friend does not want to get up, but because the man keeps knocking, eventually he gives in.

In today’s Gospel the disciples come to Jesus and say, “Lord, teach us to pray.” That is such a beautiful request, because they had already seen Jesus pray.

In today’s Gospel, Martha is doing something good. She is serving. She is welcoming Jesus. She is trying to make sure everything is taken care of. And yet somehow, in the middle of doing something good, she becomes anxious, frustrated, and even resentful.