Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 23, 2024
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
“Everyone will be salted with fire.
Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid,
with what will you restore its flavor?
Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”
When my four boys were much younger, this was one of the few gospel passages that
would grab their attention at church. It seemed to them that the Lord was advocating
violence. As to whether he was endorsing tearing out your own eye or your brother’s? Biblical
semantics.
As I (and hopefully they) reflected more deeply on the meaning of this passage over the years, I can see that I am being encouraged to look carefully at my life to see what is leading me away from God and into sin.
There are plenty of obvious suspects—too much phone, internet scrolling, fiction reading, doomsday scrolling, or alcohol—all of these take time away from more noble purposes. But, if we stop to reflect on our innermost thoughts, there are more sinister and subtle things too.
Where do we allow our thoughts to roam while walking alone? What do we think or feel upon seeing someone we deem less than ourselves? How often do we quickly judge people or situations without knowing all of the circumstances? How do we treat those that make us uncomfortable or offend us somehow? These are the tough things for me to “gouge out” of my life, and I’m sure you can relate.
The “salt” in our lives will retain its flavor if we work assiduously to identify and eradicate these pitfalls that lead us away from the path to eternal life.
Prayer
Loving God, we often stumble and cause scandal and even pain to others. We beg your forgiveness and grace to expel the causes of stumbling from our lives. Salt us with your fire, that we might be cleansed of the misuse of your gifts and restored to be the salt that preserves and protects your kingdom on earth. We pray especially for your little ones, that they may be protected from our failures. Amen.