Daily Gospel Reflection for September 29, 2024

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

Today's Gospel: Matthew 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Hands, feet, and eyes. There are some very specific reasons for why Jesus would identify these three parts of the body that can cause problems for us.

Our hands are how we interact with the world. We can reach out in love or in violence with our hands. Remember that Jesus is speaking to good Jewish men and women. The laws of Moses had specific handwashing requirements, rituals, and restrictions that each person had to carefully follow. There was an understanding that a person’s hands said something about the state of their overall self.

What about our feet? These, too, had ritual washing as well as practical washing expectations within the Jewish community. Spiritually speaking, we walk a path either toward or away from God. We can set our feet, which in turn orient our body, in a variety of stances and postures. We go where our feet take us.

Finally, Jesus talks about our eyes. God, our Creator, intimately knows us and He knows that our sight can be a huge stumbling block in our quest for holiness. What can be seen can be thought about, pondered, and acted upon. In Numbers 15:38-39, God instructed Moses to tell the people to tie tassels to the corners of their garments. That way, “When you use these tassels, the sight of the cord will remind you of all the commandments of the Lord and you will do them, without prostituting yourself going after the desires of your hearts and your eyes.”

What we do with our hands matters. Where we go with our feet matters. What we allow our eyes to see matters. How we use our physical body is part of how we will get to heaven.

Ponder:

Where is God calling you to evaluate how you use your body for His will and purposes?

Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of my body. Please help me to care for it as a temple for the Holy Spirit and to use it in ways that are pleasing to You.

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