Daily Gospel Reflection for November 17, 2014

Today’s Gospel: Luke 18: 35-43

Isn’t it interesting that when the blind man was made aware of Christ’s presence, his twice requested plea was for mercy? It would have been completely understandable if his first request was for sight, but it wasn’t. This man saw the gift that only Christ was able to give. Yes, Christ could give the man his sight, but He could also give mercy, the ultimate need of each person.

We are grateful for the gifts and blessings we have on this, but do we recognize the only thing we ultimately need is His mercy? Our earthly things; food, clothing, shelter, etc. are quite nice gifts from God, but we won’t always need those things. We do, however, need God’s mercy for both healing in this life and everlasting joy in the next.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who’s feast day we celebrate today, was a queen who focused on the needs of the poor. She became a saint because of her lack of attachment to earthly things and her great love for aiding the poor. A quote attributed to her says, “Everything I own really belongs to the poor.” Like the blind man, she knew that the only thing she ultimately needed was God’s mercy.

Ponder:

When I make a plea to God for a great need, do I include the plea for His mercy?

Pray:

Lord, have mercy! Amen.

Copyright 2014 Diane Schwind