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

Today's Gospel: Luke 21:34-36

Today’s Gospel is always sneaky. It starts out well for me:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness . . .”

Yes! I’ve got this one in the bag—I do not do “carousing and drunkenness.” I’m much too serious and boring for those sorts of shenanigans.

“ . . . and the anxieties of daily life.”

Ouch. Well, that part gets me every time. Life is messy and hard and unpredictable. Anxieties of daily life really define daily life, don’t they? It’s always something: car repairs that come out of nowhere; sewer backups into a carpeted basement; a cranky teenager; a lost job; a health crisis.

I don’t think I’m alone in observing that I am often so caught up in the daily list of putting out fires that I forget the big picture. I get so tired of hearing my own conversational pleas to God for help that I don’t even want to hear my own prayers amidst the noise of my own thoughts.

Jesus is asking us to be vigilant. Prepare. Prepare for His coming, first as a babe in the manger and last at His Second Coming.

But, how do we prepare? How should we pray?

The Church, in Her wisdom, understands this quirk of human nature to be distracted by daily life—and by carousing and drunkenness—and offers us countless tools for prayer. It is by praying regularly, after all, that we strengthen our wills to orient ourselves toward God and toward companionship with Him.

If extemporaneous prayer is hard for you, try praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or the Daily Office. (The Night Prayer is my go-to, since it seems to perfectly understand my anxiety!) Just pray.

 

Ponder:

 

Do I need to tweak my prayer routine? If so, what prayer form will help me focus on Jesus and not on daily distractions?

 

Pray:


O Lord, as we draw closer to Your nativity, prepare my heart for You. Help me notice the big picture and not get caught up in daily anxieties.

 

Click to tweet:
If extemporaneous prayer is hard for you, try praying the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or the Daily Office. Just pray. #DailyGospel

Daily Gospel 2

 

Copyright 2023 Kathryn Pasker Ineck

About the Author

Kathryn Pasker Ineck

Kathryn Pasker Ineck

Married for more than two decades to her best friend, and mom of four teens, Kathryn finds that life is never boring. She pursues the heart of God--led by His gentle Mother--and relies on the Divine Mercy Chaplet, a desire for chocolate, and an insatiable thirst for reading into the wee hours of the morning. She writes to maintain her sanity at Kathryn Pasker Ineck.