Ignatian Reflections

30 January 2024

Written by Benjamin Jansen S.J. | Jan 30, 2024 5:00:00 AM

Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

The Gospel passage today is one that should fill our hearts with awe and wonder and hope. God loves us so incredibly that He came to wade into the messiness and difficulty of our lives as a healer, teacher, friend, and brother. And we should take notice of the fact that feats deemed humanly impossible become not only possible but even simple in the presence of the Lord. Again and again throughout the Gospel, Jesus enters into seemingly impossible scenarios in which he allows himself to be told by other people that he is ridiculous and that what He proposes is impossible - and then He proceeds to go do it anyways.
 
In this vein, how often do we look at the difficulties in our own lives and say to ourselves “this is hopeless“? How often do we write off problems as being impossible to overcome? And in these moments of seeming hopelessness, how often do we truly turn with heartfelt, childlike faith to the intercession of the Lord who dwells with us and makes himself available to us at every moment? These passages should give us immense consolation and confidence that Jesus is not only fully capable but also perpetually ready and willing to help us overcome any and every difficulty that we might possibly face in the course of our earthly lives.