Daily Gospel Reflection for July 1, 2020

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: Matthew 8:28-34

When I hear today’s reading I almost feel drawn into a story where vampires and werewolves and demons exist as the scourge of the earth. Where are the silver bullets, the wooden stakes, and the holy water? We don’t hear about vampires or werewolves, but we are presented with something very tangibly real. It should be scary.

The Gadarenes were so scared of this power Jesus had that they asked Him to leave. Who could command such a thing as the swineherds told them? Jesus asks us to present to Him the demons in our own lives. Whether a type of idolatry, pride, lust, greed, or something else, we all have been touched by evil that draws us away from Christ. But here’s the thing - Jesus has the power to drive it out of us. It is perhaps uncommon for it to be driven so violently as we see today, but our shepherd knows us, He wants us to be healed.

And He offers us this healing in a variety of different ways - through reading His Word, through the sacraments, through fellowship, through counseling - God will use all the tools at His disposal to bring us close to Him. So when will we let Him work His love in us? So many of the Gospel stories show us God taking whatever smallness we offer to Him and turning it into something so much larger than we could have imagine. It is not a small thing, what God does for us. Let us ask Him to help us cast out all that pulls us away from Him!

We all have been touched by evil that draws us away from Christ. But here’s the thing - Jesus has the power to drive it out of us. #dailygospel

Ponder:

What vices can we bring to God today so that he can cast out the demons in our own life?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, help us to come to you in confession often, that we might be brought back to Your loving arms.

Copyright 2020 Jane Korvemaker