What is Jesus Giving to You Today?

During Advent, What is Jesus Giving to You Today will take the place of What is Jesus Saying to You Today. These short reflections will focus on the presents that Jesus gives you in the daily Gospel reading.

November 28: Healing (and Faith)

Today read carefully Mt 8:5-11.

Everyone wants healing. But do we notice when we receive it? How many times have you received this gift for your mind, for your heart, for your body, for a friend, when you were paralyzed by fear, when you were blind to the truth, when you were deaf to God’s word? We should be full of gratitude; in our hearts, we should carry a list of all the healings we have received.

Instead, we often carry the list of the healing presents that we haven’t received. We look at what we’ve received and complain, “Is that all there is?”

But if we use the bonus gift of faith, we can look forward with confidence to the good things to come.

November 27: Preparation

Today read carefully Mt 24:37-44.

When you are making a present or planning a surprise for someone, you need a lot of preparation to make sure that it is completed on time.

But wouldn’t it be odd if one of your gifts was preparation? Jesus gives us time to prepare as a present so that we can be ready to receive even greater gifts.