Daily Gospel Reflection for March 16, 2020

Reflection by Cathy G. Knipper Today's Gospel: Luke 4:24-30 “He passed through the midst of them and went away.” I like to turn this phrase in my mind and think, “He passed through them like mist.” The people in this gospel passage are “filled with fury.” Did you ever notice when you or those around you are “filled with fury” how blinding that is? This crowd is so livid with the words of Jesus (and what did He say that was so terrible? He was only speaking the truth) that they want to drive Him off a cliff and rid Him from their town. Imagine that angry mob; rising, pushing, driving, with energy so immense that they don’t even notice Jesus has quietly slipped away. He is gone from them as mist on a summer morning, while around and within the fury rages, blinding them to the very thing they were so hell-bent on doing. Jesus Himself tells us no one accepts prophets in their native land. Do you have family members who refuse to hear the truth and carry grudges “filled with fury”? Have you felt unwelcome in a homecoming, driven out-of-town, so to speak, by irrational anger? Jesus leaves the midst of such rage peacefully, with only a few sentences, spoken not with wrath, but with the truth. When faced with our angry mob, whether it be real or imagined, let us pass through it in peace and tranquility, using Jesus as our guide.

Ponder:

Do I allow my anger or that of others to throw me down a proverbial cliff, or can I be like Jesus and pass through it into peace?

Pray:

Dear Lord, when I am faced with the anger of myself or others, help me to choose my words carefully and speak only the truth. Help me to be like Jesus and pass through anger to a place of peace and tranquility.

Copyright 2020 Cathy G. Knipper Cathy G. Knipper is a Catholic wife and mother to three adult children and two sons-in-law who came to her fully-grown. She is a farmer’s daughter and former journalist turned freelance book publicist. She writes for various online and print publications. She blogs at awordinprogress.com Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required