Eph 4:7-16 Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14 Lk 13:22-30

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

Today’s Gospel is one of the more straightforward messages Jesus has given about salvation and the means of attaining eternal life. I’m not going to lie; it is a bit harsh and a bit difficult to take on the first read. So often we hear about the mercy and compassion of God, and yet within this text we come face to face with Jesus explaining that in actuality Heaven is difficult to attain, it requires a certain amount of strength, and yes, God will turn away those who believed they knew Him. Yikes! Can you imagine, first of all, talking to Jesus face to face and then having him tell you that just because you may think you know God in company does not mean you will know God in eternity.

It’s a bit scary, yet I believe there is so much truth in what the Gospel is conveying. So often I feel we go through our days, perhaps paying God an acknowledgement here or a quick prayer there, but never taking the time to genuinely encounter God. How often in our days do we put aside the time to converse with God, just as we would to call our parents or a good friend? Do we ever “go out to coffee” so to speak, with God? Even when we pray, are we really allowing time for God to reveal Himself to us or do we spend the entire time talking about ourselves?

I know I am extremely guilty of piling all of my concerns about my future, my chaotic schedule, my boyfriend and my family and the list goes on, on to God during the few moments I can find to pray, yet I never am willing to just stop and ask God to reveal Himself. I never ask God what is new with Him. And as silly as it sounds, it is true. We so much yearn to follow His will, but how can we do that if we do not take the time to get to know Him and ask Him about His desires?

However, God knows this about us; He understands how we might struggle in deepening a relationship with Him. And so he has blessed us with the eternal presence of the Holy Spirit. The third person of the Trinity exists and lives in each of us, every minute of every day. We are so close to the Trinity, we don’t even realize it. We have the ability to know God through the intimate intermingling of our souls with that of the Holy Spirit, if we allow it. Let us pray today for the grace to open ourselves up to the movement of the Holy Spirit in bringing us and strengthen us in our relationship with the Trinity so that when we do come face to face with God in His time, we can truly believe that He will know us.