Daily Gospel Reflection for August 31, 2022

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

Today's Gospel: Luke 4:38-44

One thing I love about the whole of the Gospels is how clearly it shows us that God is for all of us and for each of us. We get both the universality and the intimacy. Today’s Gospel is a beautiful illustration of that. Jesus tells the crowds that He must leave them to go out to others because that is His purpose: to proclaim the Kingdom of God. It’s the reason He sent His disciples out, too, to bring the Kingdom of God to every corner of the world, to all people, for all time.

At the same time, Jesus shows us the intimate love He has for each of us in that He laid His hands on each of them to cure them. He could have extended His hands over the whole group. In fact, He could have simply willed it, without being near to them at all. But the Lord is a God Who loves intimacy, He draws near to us, touches us, invites us into His Sacred Heart, invites us to eat His Body and drink His Blood. Each of us. All of us.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to hold both of those things at the same time. Sometimes I cling to individual intimacy with Jesus in such a way that I forget that He wants that intimacy with all of us; it can lead me to forget just how much He loves my neighbor. And sometimes I am so focused on the big picture that I forget how deeply He loves me as an individual, how He longs for my heart. Let us praise Him for how He loves us.

Ponder:

How do you need the Lord to stretch your heart today: to see His love for all or to see His love for you?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, thank You for coming into the world for us, for me. May Your Kingdom come.

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Jesus shows us the intimate love He has for each of us in that He laid His hands on each of them to cure them. #dailygospel

Copyright 2022 Megan Swaim