Daily Reflection – 10/30/2025
Sacred Scripture
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’’ (Luke 13:31-35)
Reflection
In the Gospel of Luke, we encounter a powerful scene where some Pharisees come to Jesus with a warning: “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” In this moment, we see two very different forms of power at play. Herod represents the power of the world, leaning on political force, military might, and the threat of violence. It is a power rooted in control and fear. Jesus, on the other hand, chooses a different path entirely.
His response to this threat is not one of animosity or hatred. He does not retreat into fear or try to polarize the situation, gathering only his own social group for security. Jesus doesn’t arm himself or begin to rally troops for a fight. Instead, he enters a moment of deep and sorrowful lament, driven by a profound compassion. His love for Jerusalem and all its people meets the immense grief of their rejection of the very one God sent to them. He says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
We can see a similar dynamic in our own society today. Fear often seems to be the fuel of the day: fear of those who are different, fear of our own shortcomings, fear that our way of life is threatened. This fear creates deep divisions and prevents us from being a healthy, functioning community. In the face of religious differences, cultural changes, migration, and conflict, we must ask ourselves how we are called to live. Do we “stand our ground” and fight? Or do we, like Christ, allow our hearts to break for the world’s brokenness and be moved to compassion?
For those of us who seek to follow Christ, the answer is clear. The path to personal peace and a stronger faith leads us down the same road Jesus traveled. To be an authentic Christian is to align our words, our beliefs, and our actions with the teachings of Christ. We must learn to shut out the voices that contradict his message of love and forgiveness. His words show us the way to the Father. They were spoken so that we might find true peace and have life everlasting.
This way will not always be easy. At times, we may feel like outliers, different from the majority. We are different, because our values are not the world’s values, but the values of the kingdom Jesus proclaimed. He longs to gather us to himself, to hold us close to his heart. The question for each of us is personal: Am I willing to allow Jesus to gather me to himself? Or do I keep him at a distance?
The good news is that even when we feel distant, Jesus never stops walking with us. His love is faithful, a wondrous gift that accompanies us every moment of every day. Will we reciprocate this incredible love by walking daily by his side? Or will we follow a darker path, one that leads not to eternal peace but to perpetual discord of the soul? If you listen to your heart and feel its peace, you will know you are walking with Him.
The Lord is knocking at the door of your heart, wishing to enter into a close, personal relationship with you. Receive him, the giver of expectant faith, unwavering hope, and undying love. As you walk this path, remain focused on the true home God has prepared for you in the new and heavenly Jerusalem. Until then, we can find strength in his promise, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, in you I place all my trust and hope. May I wholly desire you and your will above all else and long for the heavenly city Jerusalem as my true home and refuge. Fill my heart with love and mercy for others that I may boldly witness to the truth and joy of the gospel through word and example, both to those who accept it and to those who oppose it.”
Daily Note
What does it mean in a time of violence, pain, and loss, that Jesus’ response is not to rush to “solve and answer” the problems that plague us, but that he takes the time to lament, to cry, and to feel compassion? He is calling us to a more contemplative life where we fill ourselves each morning with His love, forgiveness and peace and then take our place on the streets of life filled with His presence.
