Daily Gospel Reflection for November 2, 2021 - All Souls

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

Reflection by Holly Novotny

Today's Gospel: John 6:37-40

Reading and rereading this Scripture, I am struck by the Lord’s goodness. If we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we share in this mystery of Christ.

Read the words again. So often, especially in the early days of motherhood, I felt I was losing myself in service to my children. Babies and toddlers are physically exhausting, making decisions about education and healthcare and faith formation; then the dramas and traumas of adolescence and teen years can make any mother question if she lives only for the purpose of helping these little and not-so-little ones navigate life. Don’t I have a purpose outside of serving these weak ones?

Read the words again, knowing the will of the One who sent you is that you will lose nothing of what He gave you. The time of focusing so intensely on your children is brief compared to the span of your life, but this time in the crucible perfects our love in a way that nothing else does, especially when we embrace Jesus. That Jesus came down from heaven, entering into the experience of humanity, obedient to the Father unto a painful and humiliating death, does not reduce the glory that is to come.

This Gospel passage invites us to share in this plan for our own lives. Motherhood doesn’t diminish the gifts we have to share with the world outside our family. In fact, I believe those gifts can be perfected as we lay down our lives for those we are called to intimately serve.

As we humbly submit to the will of the One Who sent His Son for our redemption, in service of our family and neighbor, we shall, through Christ, be raised on the last day.

Ponder:

How can I cultivate silence in order to listen and receive from the Father the gift of His will in my life?

Pray:

Jesus, give me the grace to seek Your will and to peacefully follow your example of trust and humility, offer my day as a sacrifice for the good of others.

Jesus, give me the grace to seek Your will and to peacefully follow your example of trust and humility, offer my day as a sacrifice for the good of others. #dailygospel

Copyright 2021 Holly Novotny

Holly Novotny is a wife and mother of two young adult daughters. The Lord’s mercy and grace continue to transform her into His original plan, much to her astonishment and joy. She is a Lifetime Marian Servant and as a graduate of the Cenacle School of Spirituality offers spiritual direction in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Podcast: numinous.fm/redeemer