Today's Gospel

God’s Gift for You Today

Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly and welcome back. Today, we're in the Gospel of John in 14:23-29. Encourage you again just to open your heart, open your mind, open your spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to a single word or a single phrase or a single idea that you can delve into today as a way to examine the Scripture in a deeper way and live the Scripture in a deeper way. Jesus answered him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's Who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you, but the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name-- He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled. Neither let them be afraid. You heard Me say it to you, 'I go away and I will come to you.' If you love Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than Me–"

"–and now I have told you before it takes place so that when it does take place, you may believe." What is it that captures your attention today? There's some great lines. There's some great ideas. Some great promptings. Jesus talking about this relationship He has with the Father, right? And it's intimate. And They're in lockstep. And He's telling us, "I'm in lockstep with the Father." We need to ask ourselves, are we in lockstep with the Father? And then He talks about the Holy Spirit. "Father is going to send the Holy Spirit." What's the Holy Spirit going to do? He will teach you all things. He will teach you all things. Not some things, not most things, not almost everything. He will teach you all things. When's the last time you prayed to the Holy Spirit? When's the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to open your heart, open your mind, open your Spirit? When's the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to teach you something? Each day, we listen to the gospel, encourage you to open yourself to the Holy Spirit. Listen for a word, a phrase, an idea that the Holy Spirit sort of prompts in you, stirs in you. And then Jesus talks about peace. He says, "Peace, I leave you." Like, "This is My gift, peace." And then I think to myself, "Well, I don't feel very peaceful today, so I must have lost that somewhere along the way." And that's natural, right? It's a turbulent world.

We live turbulent lives. How peaceful are you today? If Jesus gave us the gift of peace, do we have the gift of peace? Have we lost the gift of peace? If we've lost the gift of peace, how do we get the gift of peace back? And do you know how to really go into the classroom of silence and allow Jesus to fill you with His peace again? And then there's a brilliant line. I love this line. I think this line–I think this line is used in the prayer of the first week of Lent. But the line is, "Let your hearts not be troubled. Let your hearts not be troubled." Is your heart troubled? What's troubling your heart today? What's troubling my heart today? There's always something, right? There's always something troubling the heart. Things happen in our lives. Things happen at home. Things happen at work. Things happen with school. Things happen with our friends. Things happen and troubles our heart. Jesus is saying, "Don't let your heart be troubled." There's so much here. But just pick a word, pick a phrase, pick an idea, and take that with you into the day. And let that be food for thought. And let that be fuel for a conversation with God about whatever your word, phrase, or idea is today. It's His gift to you. That word, that phrase, that idea–it's His gift to you today. It's the word He wants to feed you with. Have a great day and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.