Daily Gospel Reflection for June 17, 2025

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

Loving your enemies is such a difficult concept. And yet, what God often calls us to as Catholics definitely falls into the realm of seemingly impossible.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the fracture of my family. Abominable actions by one family member caused an earthquake in the fabric that held us all together. Five years ago, I stood staring at the shattered pieces of my heart and my life struggling to know how to put it all back together and wondering if it was even possible. I spent a long time drowning in a sea of darkness and pain, clinging to God. The emotional destruction was so all-encompassing, I felt like my life was over.

Loving your enemies and reaching forgiveness is not a straight path. There are times when you seem to be making progress, and then a memory or another family member’s struggle drags up all the hurt again and you feel like you’re back at ground zero where hope is hard to find and you’re unable to grasp the fortitude to continue healing.

And yet, it is exactly in those impossible moments when we cry out to God that He meets us. Maybe it’s not immediately obvious that He’s helping us or that He’s even there, but it became evident that, while I felt I was just walking in circles in the dark, He was working on my heart even there. When that momentary darkness finally lifts, I’m not the same person I was and my ability to handle everyday life is stronger. I can again feel wisps of hope in my mind and heart and I have the courage to continue on the journey, trusting that God walks beside me and will use all things for good. (See Romans 8:28.)

Ponder:

Is there someone in my life whom I am struggling to forgive? Have I shared my heart with God in this difficult situation, and am I able to be open to whatever step He is asking me to take? Do I need to reach out for help from a friend, therapist, or spiritual director to continue on my path of healing?

Pray:

God, please give us the grace to travel this difficult road of forgiveness and bring healing to the broken situations in our life that only You can redeem and resurrect. Please give us strength, fortitude, and courage to place our trust in You no matter our circumstances and to remember that with You all things are possible.

CM DGR daily sq