Readings: Joel 3: 13-15; 2: 1-2; Lk 11: 15-26
The kingdom that Jesus invites us into is one of unity, compassion, and love. And he wants us to experience those kingdom values here on earth. And to experience these we need to have a spirit of discernment. Because it helps us to seek clarity, wisdom and guidance in our spiritual Journey. In today’s readings, we see that to understand God’s grace we need the spirit of discernment. The prophet Joel in his vision could see something strange, a vision of doom and gloom, which is the prediction of the final judgment.
In the gospel, we see that some people seem to believe that all the healings and miracles of Jesus were the work of the devil and not of God. Jesus’ mission was to establish the kingdom of God, the kingdom of love, peace, joy, and justice.
To help us to experience that kingdom, Jesus had gone beyond rituals laws and purification, because of which people thought that Jesus was not from God. When we examine our own life, sometimes even from our friends, and relatives, we can experience rejection when we behave according to what is best in ourselves. However, it is important to understand that rejection is not the end, rather it helps us to discern well the plan of God for us.
Today we need the spirit of discernment to identify the kingdom’s values. Let us pray that we may be filled with the wisdom and the understanding that the Spirit gives.