Daily Gospel Reflection for October 12, 2021

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

Today's Gospel: Luke 11:37-41

Sometimes we are like the Pharisees—clean on the outside, yet inside filled with plunder and evil. We shower, brush our hair and teeth, put on a smile, and show the outside world—via social media, text, or within our families or communities—an image of perfection that we can’t or won’t quite attain. Our hearts may be filled with anxiety, worry, envy, disgust, or even hatred, and we allow these things to fester and eat us from within. We even let these feelings dictate how we treat others, especially those emotionally closest to us, as they are also the ones closest physically to us.

Yet God always knows what’s in our hearts. He is there to help us when we feel the insidiousness of evil rise within us and threaten to bubble over. He is there to help us crush that evil so that its ugliness dissipates and never threatens to emerge and hurt others. In order to allow Christ to cleanse us, we must first ask Him to come into our lives. We must involve Him in every aspect of our days. And then we must work hard at that internal cleansing by watching what we read, what we watch, who we spend time with, and by receiving Him in the Eucharist at least weekly.

Knowing Christ is within us—a part of us—will help us as we work toward ridding ourselves of the nastiness of the world we live in and will prepare us for the world we want to live in with Our Lord.

Ponder:

What will you do today to let the joy of Christ shine through you?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, You know the difficulties I face and that sometimes I am harsh and unkind. Please guide me so that I may reflect Your love and compassion to others.