Daily Gospel Reflection for March 12, 2015

Today's Gospel: Luke 11:14-23

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ enemies accuse him of gaining his power from the devil. Just like a good rabbi, Jesus answers his accusers with several questions, putting them on the defensive, forcing them to decide for themselves whether his power came from the devil or God. He left them no middle ground.

Today’s Gospel reading makes me think of C.S. Lewis’ famous argument that Christ is either Lord, liar, or lunatic. Either Christ is exactly who He says He is, He is lying about it, or He has a serious mental illness. Period.

Once we come to the realization that He is Lord, we have no other rational choice than to become His disciples. As His disciples, every action we make either builds up the Kingdom of God or it tears it apart. Almost nothing we do is morally neutral. Terrifying thought, isn’t it? Either we are building up the Body of Christ or we are scattering the Body through sin.

Ponder:

Can I look Jesus in the face and tell Him that I am with Him?

Pray:

Jesus, I want to be “with you,” but I stumble in sin over and over again. Please forgive me for the times that I choose to scatter instead of build up Your Body. Thank you for the gift of the sacrament of reconciliation. Please give me the graces I need to avoid sin and return to you for forgiveness when I stumble. Bless me with the gift of a bad memory and a merciful heart toward those who injure me. Please make us sincere when we pray, “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Amen.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Catherine Boucher