Daily Reflection – June 26, 2016
Sunday 26 June 2016
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:16, 19-21
Responsorial Psalm:
You are my inheritance, O Lord
Psalm 15(16):1-2, 5, 7-11
Second Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62
Today’s Note: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Reading:
When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Reflection:
For freedom Christ set us free. (Galatians 5:1)
Did you know that a battle is going on in your mind right now? That’s what today’s second reading tells us. When Paul speaks of the “freedom” that Jesus won for us, he is telling us that we can win this battle and be free from the attacks of sin and temptation (Galatians 5:1).
What is the battle for the mind? Simply stated, we all have an incredible number of virtues and gifts. We strive to be kind, generous, selfless, loving, patient, imaginative, intuitive, and so on. At the same time, we can also be selfish, prideful, angry, moody, greedy, deceptive, lustful, lazy, jealous, and so on. We all have sinful habits that need to be “put away” and virtuous impulses that we need to “put on” more and more (Ephesians 4:22, 24).
Every one of our decisions is influenced, in some way or other, by a combination of good and bad voices: the Holy Spirit, the devil, our family and friends, our memories, and our imaginations. These voices all offer us different ways to approach how we live and the choices we make. The question we face in every situation is “Who will I listen to? How will I decide?”
If you don’t want to be controlled by the negative influences, you’re going to need to do two things: let the Holy Spirit speak to you, and try your best to “take every thought captive” so that you can emphasize the upright thoughts and reject the negative ones (2 Corinthians 10:5). This means holding fast to everything you experience in prayer, the Eucharist, and Scripture.
Guard your mind as if you are carrying a valuable diamond in your pocket. Don’t let any evil influence rob you of your joy and peace. Try to stay close to Jesus, and you’ll find yourself winning this battle for your mind and becoming more like Jesus. You’ll know the freedom that Christ came to give you.
“Jesus, help me win the battle for my mind. Give me the strength to say no to sin and yes to you.”
