I believe Jesus wants to give us a divine solution to the problems that worry us. Many times we hoard the slights, injustices, and mistakes we’ve made, forging resentments that ultimately cause chaos and confusion within us. On Easter Sunday this year, I missed Mass because of family events, my own laziness, and a selfish desire to isolate. In my truancy from the divine sacrament, I felt desolation and abandonment from God. But, in reality, I was the one who had abandoned Him! I had wronged Him in such a way that I felt unworthy of His forgiveness. I was cast back into that same sense of dread I experienced while in the throes of addiction—that incomprehensible demoralization of spirit. As I was preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a memory came to mind—when a brick particle became lodged in my young daughter’s eye while she was playing outside at a nursery school near a construction site. The eye doctor had to use a small scalpel to remove the speck, but my daughter would not stay still for him to remove it. I held her head in place, but her eyes still darted back and forth. At one point, I walked across the room and commanded her to keep her eyes focused on me. “Look at me! Do not take your eyes off me,” I told her while staring intently at her. It worked, and the doctor was able to remove the particle. That memory was a reminder of Jesus’ command to keep our eyes focused on Him—to constantly keep our eyes on the cross because He is always looking at us with love, even when we sin.
Let us pray today for help keeping our hearts open and eyes focused on the Lord. Let us pray for the willingness to see and believe the many miracles He is doing in our lives out of love for each one of us.
Reflection Questions
- What reminds you to keep your focus on Jesus? What happens when you lose sight of Him?
- Ask the Lord for a willingness to believe in the power of His Word. What is He revealing to you today?
Daily Mass Readings
First Reading: Micah 6:1-4, 6-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 50:5-6, 8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23
Gospel: Matthew 12:38-42
Reflection by Marcia G.