Daily Gospel Meditations - Saint John Society

Three virtues of the Sacred Heart - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is there anything blocking you off from the source of joy? What keys for acceptance and humility can you learn from the heart of Christ? How has Jesus manifested his goodness to you, both in offering shelter and in helping you face your responsibilities?

A holiness greater than the letter of the law - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Jesus asks us to interiorize his commandments? How do you deal with anger? Do you need to seek reconciliation? What is the Lord inviting you to do in this area?

Do we Christians still need the law? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you experienced the good use of laws and good teachings in your faith journey? Do you need to heal your image of the law? In what areas of your life do you need that external help of discipline, good community, mentoring, and good laws?

Salt of the earth and light of the world - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Who are the people who have been salt and light for you? How are you called to be salt and light for others? In what circumstances is the temptation to blend in the strongest for you?

The Beatitudes - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How is the Lord speaking to you through the beatitudes today? Which of them do you see reflected most clearly in the heart of Jesus? Which is the one that describes you best? Which is the one you need the most?

Why did Jesus give us his Body and Blood? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How have scarcity or abundance led you to give greater value to your relationship with God? How does the Eucharist nourish your connection with him? Why is the Eucharist life-giving, yet not conflict-free?

The danger of seeking wealth and attention - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.

Why does it matter that the Messiah is greater than David? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How has God's salvation been manifested in your life and in the lives of people you know? How has that salvation gone above and beyond human expectations? What are those side-effects of salvation that are good outcomes even for this life?

The central role of love in Christian life - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What needs to be redirected in your life, so as to reflect the order of love that Jesus teaches? In what ways is Jesus encouraging you to connect love of God and neighbor, and also love and worship?

The difficulty in imagining heaven - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How does the new situation of living in Christ help you understand a bit better what heaven is like? Do you find anticipations of heaven in that new life you have in Christ?

Can you be part of this world as a Catholic? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you find yourself in a similar situation at times, when others tell you that you cannot be a Catholic and be part of the 21st century? How can you find a Christ-like balance, so as to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God? Who can you think of as a role-model in striking the right balance of living in the world but not being of the world?

The temptation to seize the vineyard - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What aspects of the wisdom of God stand out to you in this parable? In what ways does this parable provide helpful warnings? How is Jesus inviting you to await the renewal He wants to bring to his Church?

The Trinity and Personal Giving - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What aspects of God's personal giving to us are especially meaningful to you? In what ways does sin undermine or distort personal giving? When has your life been enhanced by the personal giving of others? How are you called to give of yourself to others?

The integrity required to challenge Jesus - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings. Are there similar gray areas in my life? Are there aspects in which I choose to remain ambiguous, because I don't want to take a stance that is unpopular, or face hard questions? I may feel inclined to challenge others, and even to challenge God's ways, but could Jesus turn the tables on me in a similar way? Do I have the integrity and purity of intention to question him? What steps is Jesus inviting me to take?

Omissions that lead to spiritual barrenness - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What resonates with you when you reflect on these actions and teachings of Jesus? Are there spiritual gifts or opportunities that you have received, but are not bearing fruit? Do you find that any of the obstacles to prayer referenced here could be crippling your prayer life?

What does Bartimaeus' healing represent? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is your life diminished in some sense because there are steps you are reluctant to take? How has Jesus opened your eyes? Have you fully embraced the consequences of the grace Jesus has given you?

How Jesus addressed misaligned feelings - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.With which of the characters in this passage would you identify at this time? Express your feelings to the Lord, and, based on this gospel, imagine what He would say to you.

The rewards of those who venture things for Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What things have you risked or given up to follow Christ? In what ways have you experienced that paradox of receiving from the Lord the true measure of those things you had given up to follow him?

Mary, our mother in the order of grace - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what ways have you grown in union with Christ, so as to partake of his sufferings and of his joys, as Mary did? Imagine you are the one at the foot of the cross, and that Mary receives you as her son, as her daughter, today.

Why did Christ send his Spirit upon his disciples? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What calls your attention about the way in which the Holy Spirit works? Have you seen signs of the Holy Spirit in you or others in recent times? What dimension of the action of the Holy Spirit resonates with you?

The temptation to compare ourselves with others - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there areas in your life in which you feel insecure or tend to compare yourself with others? What does Jesus say in response to those voices? How does He encourage you? What is it that matters to him?

“Simon, do you love me?” - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Imagine you are Peter and Jesus asks you these questions. Do you love me? How can you show Jesus your love for him? How could your love for him grow?

What does Jesus ask for when He prays for us? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What does each of these gifts Jesus prayed for mean to you? What is keeping you from receiving them? How would your life look like if you received a greater portion of these gifts?

What does Jesus mean by asking that his disciples be consecrated? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings. How has Jesus protected you and watched over you? How has the message of Christ transformed you and led you to live in a way that is distinctive? In what ways has the Lord consecrated you, that is, established you solidly in faith?

What did Jesus say when He prayed? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How would you like to summarize your life? Imagine Jesus speaking to the Father about you. What are the good things He says? What do you find most inspiring in the character of Jesus?

Signs of spiritual growth - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Where are you in your spiritual journey? Can you identify some steps of growth you have taken? What is still lacking? Where is Jesus pointing next? Where do you get your identity from? How can you become more rooted in the Father?

How could the apostles doubt when seeing Christ? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you yourself experienced that mixture of awe and doubt? What is Jesus showing you by the fact that He entrusted his own mission to his apostles? What does that teach you about God, about you, and about his plan for your life?

What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you imagine Jesus saying as He intercedes for you before the Father in heaven? How could your prayer become more Christ-like? What do you think would change in you if your outlook and intentions were more like those of Christ?

How to assess joy and sorrow in the spiritual life - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What have been some movements of joy and of sadness in recent times? What is the cause of those joys and sorrows? Is there something that Jesus wants to teach you through those movements in your heart?

Remaining in Christ's love and friendship - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what ways has Jesus manifested his love for you? What is your perception of Christ's commandments? Why is that? Is there anything that is keeping you from opening your heart to God in prayer?

Why does God reveal things to us gradually? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Think of how God has led you through gradual steps to a growth that you couldn't have done all at once. Then, think of ways in which the Holy Spirit has led you to insights or discoveries that confirm the truth of what Jesus teaches in the Gospel.

Moving from emotion to conviction - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you remember times in your life in which you acquired more solid convictions of faith? How did that change look like? How was the before and after? Is there any similar step that the Lord may have in store for you now?

How can persecutors see themselves as true worshippers? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are you sensitive to the voice of the world in some area? Is there any reality of this world that at times may appear to be the highest good for you, instead of the living God? How has the Lord strengthened your faith through the witness of the Holy Spirit?

What does it mean to live in Christ? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What could help you better experience the commandments as an expression of love for Christ? Why do you think Jesus wanted to send the disciples another Advocate? What difference could the indwelling of God make in someone's life?

Why did Jesus tell the disciples that the world would hate them? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think you that need to hear this from Jesus today? In what ways does the voice of the world affect you? How is the Lord strengthening your faith, that you may not be overcome by the world?

Jesus calls us to friendship with him - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How has that life of Christ been manifested in you? Which of the elements mentioned here have expressed your experience of life in Christ?

Remaining in the love we have received - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what ways have you experienced Christ's love? What does it mean for you to remain in that love? Have you been able to express a love that goes beyond your natural capacity for love?

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you seen in this time the fruits that result from being united to Christ? Has the Lord done some pruning in your life, that you may bear more fruit?

What kind of peace does Christ want for the Church? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Can you identify moments in your life in which you lived in the peace of Christ and when you lived in the peace of the world? How were those different? What is preventing you from loving others, from following Christ's voice right now? What are the fears He wants you to overcome?

How is our relationship with Christ connected with his commandments? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are some steps you took in your life that enabled you to receive Christ's message? How has the thought of Christ and your love for him shaped your identity? How could it shape it even more?

Grounds for hope in the time of the resurrection - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How has your relationship with Christ been a source of encouragement for you? Is it easy or difficult for you to do what the Father did: to open your heart to others? Why do you think that is? What characteristics of Jesus' spiritual fatherhood do you find especially inspiring?

Can we know what God is like? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What have you come to know about the Father? What gestures and words of Jesus are especially luminous to you? What does the Father want you to pray for in the heart of Christ?

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What experiences have led you to discover Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life? How can you deepen that reliance on Christ, so as to find encouragement in him, and not just in human securities?

The spirituality of messengers - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What situations require humility of you, so as to stay committed to your post? Is Jesus inviting you to assimilate the message you bring by taking action in some way? Why do the advantages of sending human messengers outweigh the risks? Have you seen situations in which the fragility of the vessels highlights the value of the treasure they carry?

Jesus, an icon of the Father - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you learn by looking back on these words of Jesus from the perspective of the resurrection? Why do you think that only in union with Christ it's possible to live in the light? Why can't the light and darkness be blended? In what way is Jesus inviting you to adopt his obedience and to see it as a blessing for you?

Why did some not follow the Good Shepherd? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What elements in Christ's description of his sheep do you recognize in yourself? Do you also find in yourself some of the attitudes of the authorities that Jesus confronts? How is the Lord inviting you to grow as a disciple?

The qualities of the Good Shepherd - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What kind of relationships do you tend to establish with others: those of the hireling, or those of the shepherd? In what ways has Christ been your good shepherd? How does He want you to replicate toward others that sacrificial love that you see in him?

Jesus, the Good Shepherd and the Gate - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what ways has Jesus been the gate through which you have found access to your true self, to freedom, to a higher kind of love? How is Jesus guiding your interactions between the inner world and the outside world? Is He encouraging you to go out, or to come in?

What are these signs accompanying the proclamation about? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Where have you seen the changes that the proclamation of the gospel can introduce in someone's life? What is Jesus trying to show you through the things He emphasized in this sending? What attitude does He want to form in you?

Why does Jesus say we cannot have life unless we eat his flesh? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are the hidden aspects of the Eucharist that Jesus wants you to rediscover today? What are the needs and desires in your soul that only this food can satisfy? What are the thoughts and feelings of Christ that the Holy Spirit wants you to receive? Or, to put it another way, what action or moment in the life of Christ would you like to connect with through the Eucharist?

“Mannas” that are not enough - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are those daily “mannas” you go for? How has the Father been drawing you to Jesus? In what ways has your relationship with Christ become life-giving?