Daily Gospel Reflection for June 21, 2017

Today's Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 - St. Aloysius Gonzaga

For many years now, I have practiced a type of Christian meditation that is deeply contemplative. As today's gospel says, “When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

This type of interior prayer has truly challenged me, as it calls me to surrender completely—to let go of my desires and expectations, become receptive, and listen for God in the silence of my heart. Over the years, I have sensed an intimacy with God growing within me, the more I enter my inner room and spend time with God without an agenda.

Right now, I am facing a great deal of uncertainty regarding my elderly mother’s health issues. She recently fell in her house, was rushed to the emergency room, and underwent surgery for a partial hip replacement. She is currently in rehab and will then move into assisted living. In my anxiousness about what’s happening, I pray in silence and feel God’s presence with me.

I’ve learned that the more I let go of my agenda, the more I can be with what is—the mystery of life, my own sadness and vulnerability, and the presence of God.

[Tweet "Where is God asking you to let go of your agenda? By @ColetteLafia"]

Ponder:

Where is God asking you to let go of your agenda?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, teach me to follow You to the heart of the Father, and there surrender my agenda and allow Your love to transform me.

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.