Daily Gospel Reflection for May 12, 2017

Today's Gospel: John 14:1-6

In this passage, Jesus is offering his disciples reassurance and comfort. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he tells them. We must remember that Jesus is continuously offering us this same reassurance and comfort.

As I write this reflection, my 92-year-old mother is being prepped for hip surgery. She fell last week and ended up in the hospital with excruciating pain. At this point, the doctors aren’t sure if the surgery will be successful, or worse, whether she’ll even make it through the surgery.

When I spoke to my mother on the phone, last night, her voice was dry and her words slurred from the effect of the pain medication. Yet she kept saying, over and over again, “God is with us.” And at one point she added, “Even if we feel abandoned, God is with us, like the footprints in the sand.”

I could feel her tears in the silence over the phone, while I wiped away the tears streaming down my own face. We are asked to have faith in the face of mystery, in the face of all the unknowns of life. Yet I hear the words of my 92-year-old mother so loudly and clearly: God is with us. With my stomach in knots, my mind anxious, and my heart heavy, I will hold those words close as this day unfolds, letting Jesus comfort me.

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Ponder:

Can I give my troubled heart to Jesus today, and let myself feel the comfort that comes from that?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, may I lean into you with trust, as I face another difficult passage in my life, and may I have faith in the dwelling-place you have prepared for each of us.

Colette Lafia is a San Francisco-based writer, spiritual director, and workshop leader. She’s the author of Seeking Surrender: How a Trappist Monk Taught Me to Trust and Embrace Life, and the award-winning book, Comfort & Joy. Colette has a passion for helping people connect more deeply with the presence of the sacred in their daily lives and blogs about it at www.colettelafia.com.