Daily Gospel Reflection for March 6, 2021

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

Reflection by Holly Novotny

Today's Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

We are so familiar with this parable and have likely identified times in our lives when we have been the lost son, welcomed anew into the family, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation.

We can see ourselves as the older brother, indignant when the troublemaker is returned to a place of honor, irritated that our own fidelity is not acknowledged nor rewarded with a celebration.

Have we really considered the call to become like the Father: to seek restoration of dignity without concern for justice, to embrace compassionately without waiting for contrition or reparation?

In this passage, we are invited to consider the generosity of the Father, for ourselves and for others. This heart which is so full of mercy and joy that even when the faithful son digs in his heels, the Father doesn’t scold him nor shame him, only invites him to share in his joy that his brother has been restored.

Go back and read the passage again, imagining the heart of the father in the scene, then reflect on a time you’ve responded with such freedom and generosity to someone who has hurt you.

When I think about the times I’ve struggled with this kind of generosity and freedom to forgive and restore, I am reminded of just how unreasonable the Lord’s love is for me in those moments in the confessional.

And today, I am challenged anew to become like Christ, Who called out from the cross for the mercy of God to be poured out on the ignorant, recognizing that I am one most in need of that mercy.

Ponder:

What grace do I need in order to embrace my own dignity as a daughter of the King, so that I can see love with the generous heart of the Father?

Pray:

Lord, Jesus, give me the grace to see others as You see them. Help me to love them with Your heart, that I might run after them to love with a generous and free heart, through Your grace restoring them to the dignity with which You created them.

Have we considered the call to become like the Father: to seek restoration of dignity without concern for justice? #dailygospel

Copyright 2021 Holly Novotny

Holly Novotny is a wife and mother of two young adult daughters. The Lord’s mercy and grace continue to transform her into His original plan, much to her astonishment and joy. She is a Lifetime Marian Servant and as a graduate of the Cenacle School of Spirituality offers spiritual direction in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Twitter: @seekingwoman Podcast: numinous.fm/redeemer