Daily Gospel Reflection for September 24, 2024

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

Reflection by Leslie Lynch

Today's Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

John’s Gospel places today’s brief story during Jesus’s ministry. He is inside a house; a crowd has gathered.

His mother and brothers stood outside asking to speak to Him, but His answer causes a twist of surprise and unease in my gut.

In a similar passage in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says,

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Pointing toward His disciples, He says, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matthew 12:48-50)

The Gospel does not say what happened next. I sincerely doubt, given Jesus’s deep respect for Mary, that He denied her access to Him!

Rather, this is a teachable moment. Those who do God’s will are closest to Jesus.

Jesus dramatically calls us His family, inviting us into deeper relationship with Him. He points us toward heaven, and His/our Heavenly Father, as our destiny. And He tells us how to live right here, right now.

In Matthew 25:35-36: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

In Matthew 12:7: “…I desire mercy, not sacrifice…”

As we slog our way through days full of chores and dirty diapers, or balancing the needs of aging parents along with those of our teens, it’s comforting to remember that Jesus is as closely intimate with us as our siblings (and a lot less dysfunctional!).

Perhaps visualizing Jesus as my trusted big brother can help me draw closer to Him, and thus more completely fulfill my unique role as His disciple—and sister.

Ponder:

I know Jesus as my Lord, my King, my Shepherd, my Savior, but do I know Him as my brother?

Pray:

Dearest Jesus, it’s easier to keep You at a distance sometimes, as Lord/King/Shepherd/Savior. Help me to let You be a brother to me, and let me be a sister to You.

Copyright 2024 Leslie Lynch

Leslie Lynch lives near Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and a rescued, feral-turned-sweetheart cat. She’s written three full-length novels: Hijacked, Unholy Bonds, and Opal’s Jubilee; and two novellas: Christmas Hope and Christmas Grace. She is a freelance contributor to the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’s newspaper, The Criterion, and holds an MFA in Writing from Spalding University. Learn more at www.leslielynch.com.