Daily bible reading 10/14/2023

  October 14, 2023

    Happy Saturday everyone! Today's reading came from the book of Luke, chapter 11, verse 27-28:

    "While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." He replied, "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

    When I first read this reading I saw it as if Jesus brushed away the woman's comment and changed the topic, but it didn't feel right. I had a feeling that I was missing something. So I decided to read it again... and again... and again. I think I read this paragraph 5 times before I got the meaning of what Jesus was trying to say. What I did was break the reading into two parts, what is the woman saying? and what is Jesus saying in response? Let's break it down together.

    "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed." Who is she talking about at the moment? Mary, that part is obvious. Now we need to think about who is Mary to Jesus and why does this woman say she is blessed. Well Mary is the chosen mother of Jesus. She gave birth to him, she cleaned him up, she took care of him and did everything in her power to shape him into the wonderful man that Jesus was. Without doubt Mary is going to be blessed for all the hard work that she has done for the son of God. So what did Jesus say in response?

    He didn't deny her like I first thought he did, he instead directed her perspective onto someone else who deserves the blessing that she was proclaiming as well. "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." He's talking about the people. Anyone who simply hears the word of God, and anyone who simply observes the word of God. Instead of having your eyes fixed on Mary, the one chosen by God himself, he tells you to look at the stranger in the streets. For they are just as blessed, if not more, than Mary. 

    Well, how do we connect it to our lives today? I want you to think about the people in your life that resemble Mary. Somebody who seems chosen by God. It could be a youth group leader, a deacon, someone who's constantly helping the poor and donating to foundations. According to this reading they are blessed, without a doubt, but Jesus is telling you not to be discouraged. Don't think that you won't be blessed because you don't do all these acts of service to your community. Here's the thing guys, Jesus says that by simply hearing his word, could be at mass, could be a simple 5 minute reading, any sort of way that you listen to the word of God is enough for you to be blessed. He doesn't ask you to quit your job and do missionary work. He doesn't need you to establish a prayer group and become a leader. He just needs your ears to listen, your eyes to observe, and your heart to follow him. That is enough for you to be blessed by God. So to you reading this right now, congrats on being blessed, keep it up, because I know it will only bring great things to your life. Have a blessed night everyone.