Daily Gospel Meditations - Saint John Society

Opposition in the path of doing good - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What calls your attention in this episode? Why do you think the good actions of Jesus awakened so much opposition? What is the Lord teaching us about the fortitude that is needed if we want to follow him?

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you notice any symptoms of pride in your own heart? How does this parable help you better understand what pride and humility are about? What steps is Jesus encouraging you to take to grow in humility?

The preparedness Jesus wants for us - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is my attention too focused on world events? What would Jesus bring to my attention if I complained about what is going on in society? How has He manifested his patience toward me? What kind of fruit is He hoping to find in me?

What does Jesus mean when He asks us to settle accounts with our opponent? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there situations in which you may be walking in some inconsistency? In what ways is the Lord inviting you to take a second look at the signs, the voice of conscience, his teaching, what others are saying?

Why did Jesus say He would cause trials and division? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are the desires that prevail in the heart of Jesus? What are the desires that prevail in your own heart? Has Jesus placed desires in you that you are not cultivating, out of fear of their unintended consequences?

Am I supposed to watch over others? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How have you been helped by good stewards who recognized your needs and encouraged you? Who are the people that God has entrusted to your care? Is He encouraging you to take on more responsibilities? How could you become a better steward in God's kingdom?

Watching over your own soul - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What is the Lord encouraging you to do, so as to be more vigilant? What's the temptation for you? What could make you become spiritually drowsy? In what ways has the Lord visited you and waited on you lately, so as to encourage you? What is He about?

The spiritual trap of greed - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Can you trace some conflicts in your life back to the desire for possessions and control? In what ways would Jesus want to see you freer, so that you may use resources and success, without being dominated by them?

The parable of the judge and the widow - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What makes it challenging for you to persevere in prayer? How has the Lord blessed you in the past, when you've persevered through difficult moments? What has prayer secured for you?

In what ways does the instruction to the 72 apply today? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Who were those disciples that made the kingdom of God available to you? What was moving about their witness? Which lines of the gospel do you see reflected in them? How is Jesus encouraging you to carry the same message to others? What would you want to adjust, so that your witness may be more compelling?

On hypocrisy and the right order of fear - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is hypocrisy a spiritual danger in your faith journey? When does it become a problem? How can you fight it? What are the things you fear the most? How is Jesus challenging you to re-arrange the order of fear, the order of love in your heart?

Why did Jesus say they would pay for the crimes of prior generations? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What inconsistencies has the Lord led you to discover in your own heart? Have you experienced in some way the cumulative effect of an inconsistent course of action? How can you better utilize your knowledge in the service of God and others?

Distortions in the application of the Law - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are any of these distortions a temptation in your own journey? Could secondary details be eclipsing essentials in your faith life? Do you find that meeting people's approval is too much of a concern for you? How are you using your knowledge of faith to serve others, to open paths for others to know Christ?

Why did Jesus rebuke his host? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you detect some ongoing dissonance between your heart and what you say and do? Is there something Jesus is inviting you to give away? What's the freedom of heart that the Lord wants for you? What does it look like? What does it feel like?

What did Jesus mean by the ‘sign of Jonah'? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Who has been a sign to you? Whose life has had the greatest impact in your faith journey? In what ways has the presence of Jesus been a sign for you? How are you responding to the signs that God is placing around you right now?

What was missing in the faith of the other nine? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How did Jesus rescue you? How does that put in perspective the good things and the difficulties you are experiencing right now? What reactions would Jesus want to see in you, aside from your faith in him or rather as something stemming from that faith?

God's grace will enhance human relationships - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What is Jesus teaching you about what the highest blessing is? Is He addressing any misplaced expectations? What inspires you about his emotional balance? How has God's grace purified and perfected your relationship with others?

How Jesus confronts suspicion - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Putting the lessons of this gospel together with your experience, in what ways are the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness different? What are some of the lies and accusations that the evil one has used to lead you to distrust God or to lose courage?

Seek and you will find - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what ways has perseverance in prayer helped you grow? How has the Lord purified your desires through that insistence? What is that “more” that Jesus wants you to seek? What fears could be blocking your spiritual growth?

“Lord, teach us how to pray.” - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.For today's meditation, choose one or two of these petitions, and reflect on this: why is Jesus telling you to pray in that way? Why do you need this kind of prayer?

The better part of Mary - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What's the voice of Martha like in your case? What voices are the most pressing ones? How can prayer help you discern and balance those out? What are instances of activity done in Christ, and instances of activity that stem from unclear ground? How do you distinguish those?

The parable of the good Samaritan - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there situations in which twisting the law to your advantage could be a temptation? Who has been like a good Samaritan to you? In what ways is Jesus is encouraging you to replicate that toward others?

What did Jesus mean by saying we are unprofitable servants? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what area of your life do you need more faith? Can you think of humanly impossible things that have happened through God's power? How would Jesus want to purify your heart, that you may serve him with greater selflessness?

Discovering deeper levels of joy - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are those moments in your faith journey that allowed you to discover new levels of joy? What is the greater joy that Jesus wants to open up for you now? In what aspects would you describe yourself as humble and teachable? Are there other aspects in which you are not so childlike?

Why did Jesus rebuked the cities He visited? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are some of the signs and graces that God has given you in recent times? How have you taken advantage of those for your spiritual growth? Is it a temptation for you to reject a message that comes from the Lord because of the imperfection of the message-bearers? Why would Jesus want to still use those messengers, even when their human weakness could pose a challenge?

On humility and personal dignity - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.How does pride manifest itself in your life? In what concrete ways is Jesus inviting you to be like a child, and walk humbly with him?

Why did Jesus place such demands on those He called? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Which of the three challenges of Jesus speaks to your situation? How would the Lord want you to see your calling to be his disciple in relation to other commitments?

Jesus as a model of fortitude - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you find especially inspiring in Christ's strength of character? In which situations would the Lord invite you to be more patient? In which situations would He invite you to be more assertive and resolute?

Can anything good come from Nazareth? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is your view of the world highly critical and negative? Why is that? What would Jesus praise in you, if you happened to be in Nathanael's place? What is the Lord's outlook on the world like? Who are the good messengers that Christ has placed in your path, to guide you and protect you?

The parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Does this parable help you identify something that Jesus wants you to address in your life? Can you verify that the separation between light and darkness starts in this life, at times even inside your own heart? Why does Jesus defend the sufficiency of faith?

Understanding the significance of the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Are there areas of faith or areas of your heart in which you don't want to enter? Why would Jesus want you to learn about the wisdom of the cross? What is his purpose in teaching you about it?

Why doesn't God change things more forcefully? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you recognize in our world the signs of the same impatience Christ had to deal with? Why did God choose to do things the way He did? How are you faring with God's patience, with the fact that He will give you the light you need, but won't immediately remove the obstacles you find around you and inside of you?

The ambivalence of the human heart - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Herod wanted to see Jesus? In what sense do you think Herod was and wasn't free? How do you see yourself reflected in the ambivalence of Herod's soul?

The careful formation of the disciples - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Do you see this dynamic at work in your own life? Who were your mentors and guides? How have you been formed and sent? What is Jesus showing you through these lines of the gospel?

Bonds arising from new life in Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Is Jesus inviting you to assert the precedence of his calling in an area in which that precedence is challenged by others? How can you tell whether you follow some lifeless principles, or the living Law that is the person of Jesus?

Why are we asked not to hide our faith? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what situations are you tempted to hide the light? And how could you shine your light before others? Have you noticed in your own experience that virtuous cycle, of being receptive to God's word, sharing it, and growing from it?

Why did Jesus praise the dishonest steward? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What lessons in shrewdness can you learn from the steward? How is someone's life different, depending on whether they adore wealth or they use it?

What could get us spiritually stuck? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What type of soil are you? When you receive some direction from the Lord, what is the outcome? Is something keeping those graces from bearing fruit?

The possibility of living for God as a new reality established by Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Has something new been enabled in your life, or in people around you, because of Christ's proclamation? What has the Lord provided for you through the presence of consecrated people in your life?

Why repentance is different from shame - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you experienced the difference between shame and contrition? In what situations would Jesus challenge your pride, and invite you to have a truer view of the big picture? How would Jesus want you to express your love for him and for others?

God's case against fallen humanity - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Have you been tempted to find fault with God's ways? Why do you think God may have emphasized one side of the coin or the other, in your own case? What was key for you to recognize his ways in your life?

Miracles that go beyond natural outcomes - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What traits of the heart of Jesus do you perceive in this account? Can you think of an instance of a spiritual resurrection? What is the Lord trying to convey to you through these miracles?

Lessons from Mary at the foot of the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What do you learn by imagining the face of Mary, the soul of Mary at the foot of the cross? How can you be more deeply united with Christ, so that his joys and sorrows will be yours? Why does Jesus want you to receive Mary as your mother?

How to understand the cross - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What does the Lord want to show you through the mystery of the cross? How could some trials become the occasion for God's light to be manifested? What crosses have resulted from your faithfulness to Christ?

Can we just classify people into these two categories? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.In what aspects of your life do you see good fruits, stemming from the goodness of your heart? Have you seen the good movements of God's grace in you become solid after acting on them? What areas of your heart may need to be brought in greater alignment with the direction Jesus has given to your life?

What is spiritual blindness about? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What are some of your blind spots? How has Jesus helped you see more clearly in the past? What are some of the disciplines that help your vision remain unclouded?

Replicate the love you have received from God - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.When have you experienced God's love in your life? Have you ever witnessed this kind of love in others, or even received it from someone you treated like an enemy? What are the steps that Jesus would encourage you to take to imitate this higher love?

The significance of the beatitudes and woes - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Where does your heart usually go? What are the things you think about the most? What does usually cause changes in your mood? What is it that you most admire in people who live by the beatitudes? What step could you take today to draw closer to that ideal?

Why did Jesus establish the Church? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.What calls your attention about this election of the Twelve? In what ways do you think that Jesus wants to shine his light through you? What would the Lord want you to do to be faithful to the mission He has for you in this life?

What we can learn from Jesus' lineage - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Can you imagine what Jesus would have said to some of these patriarchs and ancestors as they went through difficult times? What will the Lord say to you one day when you both look back at your current situation? What are the good things that Jesus wants you to draw from the trials, the dreams, the expectations of the present moment?

What did Jesus mean by saying we should “hate father and mother”? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today's readings.Why do you think Jesus wants to make you aware of the challenges involved in being a disciple? Are you tempted at times to trade good conscience for security? What are some steps that Jesus would want you to take, so as to be strengthened for greater challenges?