Daily Gospel Reflection for October 29, 2025

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

Reflection by Leslie Lynch

Today's Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

I recently served on the presenting team of a retreat. The structure of the team had each member serving in two separate areas, so I served under two different leaders.

The formation meetings quickly became a microcosm of messy humanity. And as much as I tried to be a good team member, I found myself resisting one leader at the same time I would willingly follow the other into an inferno.

As I struggled with my response to the one I resisted, I had to look at myself first. Was my ego getting in the way? (Yep.) Yet even when I confessed it at Reconciliation and resolved to humble myself to her leadership, the challenge remained.

Looking at them, I could see they shared important qualities. Both were prayerful women, both took their responsibilities seriously, and both had great credentials.

The difference was humility and reliance on Jesus versus insecurity and reliance on self—which came across as arrogance.

One saw her task as a gift, given to her and then poured out in love and service to the retreatants. She led with prayer, used her experience as a guide, and listened to (and heeded) her team members. Then she left us to our duties, trusting us.

The other viewed her task and its outcome as a personal reflection on her. Though she asked for help, she shut down all offers or suggestions with litanies of her qualifications. No one on her team dared to proceed without her permission, lest it be perceived as one-upmanship.

The woman who viewed herself as least among all modeled Jesus for me. The woman who got caught up in her insecurity mirrored my own insecurity, self-reliance, and need for Jesus.

May we all seek God’s grace to grow in meekness and humility!

Ponder:

Do I seek accolades from others (even in the Church) rather than living out Jesus’s example of humility and service?

Pray:

Dearest Jesus, in the midst of the temptations of the world and the chaos of life, please help me keep my eyes and focus on You. Help me to keep my priorities and motivations right in Your eyes, so that You recognize me when I reach the narrow gate.

Copyright 2025 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 an occasional 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.