Daily Gospel Reflection for August 21, 2022

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

Reflection by Kerri Baunach

Today's Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

I was discussing Reconciliation one day with my then seven-year old, who was preparing for his sacraments. He was surprised, even shocked, when I happened to mention that priests and even the pope also go to Reconciliation. His reaction was priceless! I took that opportunity to share with him how going to confession helps give us grace to face temptations, making our souls strong. In the end, I think he got the concept I was trying to teach him, and, more importantly, he saw the value of this sacrament as something to embrace and not to fear.

I thought of all this when I read today’s Gospel from Luke. In particular, when Jesus says that many will not be strong enough to enter through the narrow gate. What kind of strength is He talking about, and how do we gain that strength? It occurred to me that we need God’s sanctifying grace to grow stronger spiritually, and thus we must go to Reconciliation regularly to receive this gift.

This need for repentance continues through this passage. Yes, Jesus shared meals with sinners, but He also called them to repentance, an idea sadly overlooked by many in our culture today. Just because Jesus shared a meal with evildoers does not mean they will enter the Kingdom of God. No, they must repent, WE must repent by regular reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Finally, we need to realize that it takes humility to be truly repentant and ask God for forgiveness of our sins. As Jesus tells us, “some are last who will be first.” With authentic humility we know we are sinners in need of repentance and God’s grace to make us strong and that we don’t deserve His Kingdom but through His mercy.

Ponder:

Have you feared going to the sacrament of Reconciliation at any point? How have you overcome that fear to embrace the gift that this sacrament is?

Pray:

Lord God, thank you for the gift of Reconciliation and all the sacraments that give us strength on our journey towards our heavenly home.

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It occurred to me that we need God’s sanctifying grace to grow stronger spiritually, and thus we must go to Reconciliation regularly to receive this gift. #dailygospel

Copyright 2022 Kerri Baunach

Kerri Baunach lives in Lexington, KY, with her husband and three boys. She’s a Benedictine Oblate with the Archabbey of St. Meinrad in Indiana, homeschools her boys part-time through a hybrid school, and is a former writer and editor at CatholicSistas.com.