Daily Gospel Reflection

Face to Face with Evil

Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly. Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where we are exploring the genius of Jesus in the Gospels and looking for a word, a phrase, or an idea each day in today's gospel reading to take out into the world to anchor our day in the Gospel. Today's reading comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 11 through 19. And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world. And I am coming to the Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

While I was with them, I kept them in thy name, which thou hast given me. I have guarded them, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition. That the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou should us take them out of the world, but that thou should us keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. As thou did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself that they may also be consecrated to truth.

So we're in John, and John loves language, and he has this way of speaking, and it's easy to maybe sometimes get lost. And that's why, what are we looking for? We're looking for a word or a phrase or an idea. We're not looking to understand the whole theology. We're not looking to understand the whole history of the reading. We are looking for a word or a phrase or an idea. What jumped out at you today? What jumped out at me was keep them from the evil one. Jesus, constantly acknowledging evil, the existence of evil in the world. And we have a lot of people today who want to pretend that evil doesn't exist. And that simply isn't true. There is evil in the world. Some days it feels like it's creeping closer and closer. I think it's important that we be mindful that there is evil in the world. I think it's important that we pray for the people who are encountering evil today.

You only have to turn on the news and you have to read world events to see that people are face-to-face with evil today. There are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's turn our prayers to them. Have a great day and remember, be bold, be Catholic.