Daily Gospel Meditations - Saint John Society

Why did Jesus expel vendors from the Temple? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. How is Jesus challenging you to purify your heart and your worship? How has He purified your worship already, by uniting you to his own sacrifice? Is anger a problem in your life? How is Jesus inviting you to purify the way you address wrongdoing?

Could Jesus really be asking us to hate our families? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. What does it mean for you to give God the first place in your life? What are the fears that Jesus is inviting you to confront? Have you been able to persevere in spite of the opposition you’ve found around you? What fruits have come out of that perseverance?

The spiritual problem of acedia - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Do you recall your capacity to connect with God at a young age, if that happened? Did some experiences lead you to forget that joy? How was it rekindled in you? Are there activities, possessions, relationships, that may weaken your love for Christ, because of the way you live them out?

Why Jesus wants us to invite those who cannot repay - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Have you verified this spiritual law, that going beyond your comfort zone helps your love grow in quality? How is Jesus challenging you to love in a selfless way?

On good and bad leadership - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Are you tempted to run away from leading where you are called to lead? Are there inconsistencies in your leadership? What’s the intention behind your initiatives? Do you represent God’s fatherhood well?

The wisdom of humility - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Do you recognize the root of pride in your own life at times? Have you experienced the bad consequences that pride can have? What does it mean for you to practice humility? How does it look different and feel different from the prideful mindset?

The courage to confront difficult issues - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Are there situations in your life in which you have to combine different moral demands? Are there decisions or dilemmas that you don’t want to confront out of fear of others, out of fear of change? How would Jesus guide you to resolve those situations or dilemmas?

What is the reason for purgatory? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Have you experienced the action of the Lord’s grace, drawing you to Christ, and purifying you at the same time? What are those aspects in you that are in need of purification? In what ways has Jesus already given you the beginnings of eternal life?

The saints as reflections of the heart of Christ - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Which of these beatitudes contains an invitation for you to imitate an aspect of Christ’s holiness? Is there a saint that you find especially inspiring? Which beatitude would you relate his or her life to? How does that saint illumine the meaning of that particular beatitude?

Why does the kingdom of God begin small? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. What are those small beginnings that drew you to Christ? Have you seen the kingdom of God grow in different places following the law of these parables? In what way is the Lord encouraging you to work on generating that small cell of the kingdom of God, that can then radiate and spread?

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?

How can love be commanded? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Why do you think this double commandment is important to keep our faith system in good shape? Why is love of God essential to love other things well? How are love of God, love of neighbor, and love of self, interrelated in your own life?

The weaving of grace and freedom - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. How does this text help you understand your own calling to be a disciple? Why didn’t Jesus make you invincible? What graces has be given you, and what is their purpose?

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?

How did Jesus navigate the frontier between faith and politics? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Do you find any tension or contradiction between your faith and civil obedience? Where does that tension stem from? How is the Lord asking you to resolve it? What does it mean for you to give to God what belongs to God?

Why is it risky to be ashamed of our faith? - Fr. Lucas Laborde. Click here for today’s readings. Whose witness has been instrumental in your own coming to Christ? What has been the spiritual fruit of sharing your faith? In what situations should you be bolder about it? When is it reasonable to be quiet because of the circumstances?

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?

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...

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?