JI 4:12-21 Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12 Lk 11:27-28

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

Today’s readings both comfort and motivate me as I read them. During times of difficulty and stress, God wants us to draw closer to him so that he can be “a refuge” and a “stronghold” for us. God wants to give us strength and carry us through the hard times in our lives, and this love and compassion never leave us at any point in our lives. Knowing that God is always by my side reaching out to me brings me great peace and comfort, which leads me to “rejoice in the Lord” as in today’s psalm.
           
God’s love and protection strengthens our faith, but it is important that we do not let our faith lie dormant within us and never truly live it out. Faith is not just a bunch of beliefs that one holds in their head or rituals that one carries out. Faith is taking action and applying one’s beliefs to their daily life. When Jesus tells the woman in the Gospel, “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it”, he is calling her to actively respond to him and practice what she hears being preached. This is our call as well. Sometimes I feel myself falling into the routines of my faith, and though I hear the homily at Mass every week, I do not always take the time to think about how the homily applies to me and what God is calling me to change in my life. When I do not incorporate God’s message into my life, I am letting my faith become passive and complacent, but today’s Gospel shows us that God asks for active faith, not passive faith. We all need to consistently seek to live out our faith with intent, so that we can be the hands and feet of the Lord.