Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Luke 4: 38-44
September 03, 2025 | Wednesday

Today’s Gospel

Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever, and they asked him to do something for her. Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately, she got up and waited on them.

At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, “You are the Son of God!” He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah. Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of him, and finding him, they tried to dissuade him from leaving. But he said, “I have to go to other towns, to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do.” And Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.

Today’s Reflection

After healing so many people, the people, after experiencing greatness from Jesus, did not want him to leave. They wanted him to stay with them. Such a great convenience! But Jesus tells them that he has to go to other places to proclaim the Good News. This is true to us sometimes, as well. We want Jesus to stay only because of convenience. Many of us who experience God’s greatness in our lives become so enamored with being in the Lord. The problem, however, is we want him to stay with us instead of us following him. When the challenges of following him arise, we decide not to follow him anymore. Or worse, we want him to obey us. Sometimes, we even bargain and demand miracles from Him for us to follow him. Jesus showed us that following him is not about convenience and benefits. It is ultimately about sacrifice. The road along this journey leads to the cross, a cross that all of us must carry. That is a great price of love. But a necessary love that leads to paradise –eternal life with Jesus. May we carry our crosses well and our lives become a constant following the Lord, in convenience and in inconvenience.

/Vulnerasti, 2025