Daily Gospel Reflection for March 16, 2018

Today's Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 “His hour had not yet come.” For Jesus, this meant the time of His great Passion had not yet arrived. Do we have a “my hour, my time”? Often, in today’s society, we equate “my time” with accomplishment of dreams and goals. This is important—we’d never reach our human potential without focus and the toil involved in getting there. But as Catholics, we look beyond this world to find our identity, to recognize the grace that defines us. For Jesus, it meant suffering and sacrifice, not for His sake but for ours. The gift of suffering, the merciful sacrifice. I doubt anyone likes suffering, but it visits us in ways large and small anyway. If you think another human being in your sphere hasn’t run headlong into this particular fact of life, you haven’t looked deeply enough into their circumstances. And we sacrifice every day, even if we don’t realize it. If you’re a mom, you sacrifice a full night’s sleep, sometimes for years on end; you may put off pursuit of your dream until the kids aren’t as dependent on your presence. Sometimes the sacrifices and the suffering are almost more than we can bear—and in those times, we seek special grace at the foot of the cross. But for the ordinary day, perhaps the most immediate application of these verses can point to a way to live our lives, prompting us to look at each moment and find God’s purpose for us in it. Our time will come: our time of suffering, of sacrifice, of dreams realized. Meanwhile, your time is now. Attend to the circumstances and people God has placed in your path. Really see them. Don’t take them for granted or brush past them. They are your task. This is your time.

Ponder:

How can I open my eyes to both the wonder of God in my life and His mystery—today? Am I attempting an enterprise for which the time has not yet come?

Pray:

Lord, help me see what You have set before me now, and prepare me for my time that is to come.

Copyright 2018 Leslie Lynch Leslie Lynch lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a rescued feral-turned-sweetheart cat. She’s written three full-length novels: Hijacked, Unholy Bonds, and Opal’s Jubilee; and two novellas: Christmas Hope and Christmas Grace. She is an occasional contributor to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’s newspaper, The Criterion. Connect with her at www.leslielynch.com and on Facebook at Leslie Lynch Writes. Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required