Luke 11:39
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
Today the Church remembers St. Theresa of Avila, who had said once that "The tree that is beside the running water is fresher and gives more fruit."
In todays Gospel, Jesus calls out the Pharisee because of his focus on cleaning the exterior of the cup rather than the interior. Jesus desires our hearts more than anyone. He desires our hearts to be with him, who is the source of the spiritual water that quenches our deepest thirst. He offers his love and mercy to us so that we may continually be like the tree near that running water, who is Christ, who quenches that deep thirst within all of our hearts. When we love others as Jesus loves us, our lives will bear much more fruit than we could ever imagine. Jesus is asking for our hearts every day°will you give him yours today?
Lord, we want our hearts to be focused on you. We need your guidance in our lives, because we can't do it alone. We need you to teach us how to love you. Transform our hearts to love like you love Lord. Amen.
Get to know our seminarians! Today's reflection was written by:
Andrew Zsebedics, Sophomore
Home parish: St. Lawrence
Did you know...
I love adventures, I love seeing God in nature, and I love reading with coffee.
Pray with us for the men and women discerning the priesthood and religious life. To pray for our seminarians by name or to find out more about the Diocese of St. Petersburg vocations office, click here.
