Daily Gospel Reflection for October 12, 2024

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

Reflection by Leslie Lynch

Today's Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

In today’s Gospel, a woman in the crowd cries out,

“Blessed is the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

Jesus’s response:

“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

This in no way negates Mary’s position as blessed among women, nor does it minimize the fruit of her womb, Jesus. Mary is blessed because she DID hear the word of God and observed (consented to) it. She remains our perfect role model.

It’s a challenge in our very busy times to stay focused on God rather than social media or the thousands of micro-demands that splinter our attention. Ads on television and radio, product placement in stores, billboards, websites and magazines claiming to know the best thing to buy, the best way to be . . . But Mary shows us the better way. I imagine that if she had access to social media and devices that she would have used them only as necessary (if at all) so she could hear God, and she might advise us to do the same.

Mary says yes to God, and shows us the joy that comes from that fiat. Mary suffers deeply, and shows us that sorrow does not separate us from God. Mary experiences Jesus’s resurrection and ascension, and show us the glory of His kingship. All of the wonders of Mary’s life are available to anyone, other than physically carrying our Lord in our wombs. Only she was awarded that honor.

When we nurture our faith by prayer, sacraments, and Bible study, we are opening the ears of our hearts to God’s word. When our faith then causes us to act with love, mercy, and justice, we truly observe God’s word. May it be done to us according to God’s word.

Ponder:

What small step can I take today to quiet the clamor of the world, so I can hear the still, small voice of God?

Pray:

Dearest Jesus, You are everything I truly desire! Please open the ears of my heart to hear the Father’s voice and transform me to be like Mary, the handmaid of the Lord.

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.