Daily Gospel Reflection for February 17, 2024

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

Reflection by Virginia Pillars

Today's Gospel: Luke 5:27-32

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

When most people come down with an illness, they want to get better. They go to the doctor and follow the directions to regain their health. Most of us react this way, but not all. Some have anosognosia. Their brain tells them they are not sick and as a result they are unaware of their illness. This occurs with some mental health conditions or Alzheimer’s. They do not seek treatment or they resist the treatment and their illness continues.

In this passage of Scripture, we see Jesus calling Levi to follow him. Levi is despised by his fellow Jewish people, yet he answered the call and left his former life behind. What a courageous thing to do. He had to admit his need for healing from Jesus. This meant an honest look at himself. He saw what he needed, trusted Jesus, and walked away from all he knew after receiving the healing from our Lord.

We all need the healing touch from Jesus as Levi did. We need to look at our lives and see where we need His grace to leave behind our sinful ways and follow Him completely as Levi did. Do I have anosognosia when it comes to recognizing my sins? Has it become such a part of my life that I no longer recognize it? Or am I in denial?

Jesus came to heal us. Like Levi, trust in Jesus can take us from our sinful ways into His grace as we follow Him. We need to look deep inside our thoughts and actions and ask Jesus to illuminate those areas so we can heal.

Ponder:

Do I recognize my need for healing or am I in denial?

Pray:

Thank you, Jesus, for coming into our lives so we can receive Your grace and healing from our sins.

Click to tweet:
Jesus came to heal us even if we do not recognize our need for His healing in our life. #DailyGospel

Copyright 2024 Virginia Pillars

Virginia Pillars, author of Broken Brain, Fortified Faith: Lessons of Hope Through a Child’s Mental Illness, winner of the 2017 Selah Award and CWG SOA, strives to bring God’s hope to mental health by speaking events and as a NAMI volunteer. She contributed to Sharing Your Catholic Faith, Divine Interventions, Whispers in the Pew, and themighty.com. Virginia blogs at www.virginiapillars.com.