Daily Gospel Reflection

The Secret to a Bigger Future

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where each day we are looking for a word, a phrase, or an idea that jumps out at us from the daily reading of the gospel, so that we can anchor our day in that word, phrase or idea. Today's reading comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 6, verses 20 through 26. And Jesus lifted up His eyes on His disciples and said, "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall love. Blessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and cast out your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you that are rich for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets."

What jumps out at you? Is there a word or a phrase or an idea that jumps out at you today? I think what jumps out at me is this juxtaposition of now and later of time. Jesus is obviously talking about spiritual terms, but we see this wisdom in so many aspects of our lives. At the end of the day, at the core of this is delayed gratification, is, are we willing to delay gratification? Are we willing to give up some small pleasure or convenience now for something much, much greater in the future? And of course, that ultimate future, that ultimate, bigger, better future is heaven. And our lives are like an instant compared to eternity. And Jesus is saying lay a little gratification now for a bigger, better future. And we see that in our health and well-being. We see that in our personal finances. We see that in parenting. We see that in marriage. We see that in every aspect of our lives. And of course, today we see it in our spirituality. So are you willing to delay gratification for a bigger, better future, the bigger, better future that God is inviting you to. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.