October 30, 2025 // Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
Reflect on the Word //
I watch the slow drip, drip, drip of the IV bag. I count them: one drop every three seconds. I do this treatment extremely slowly; otherwise, it gives me severe heart palpitations that trigger my body into panic attacks. I will be here for another seven hours today, trying to keep my body calm, and back again, tomorrow and every day for the next couple months, trying to endure this unwanted school of patience.
I read today’s Gospel and try to listen to what God has to teach. The Lord yearns for me. The image is lovely: like “a mother hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). He longs to hold me. And I need to be held, as the stress of these treatments make my body feel so scared and unsafe.
But I have been unwilling (see Luke 13:34). I haven’t let Him in. I have been gripping with my own strength, not letting the Lord help me. I make an act of the will to praise God despite my current discomfort. I want to see Him. I want to see Him performing miracles even in this IV room. And as I open my heart, I do see. I see a man in a wheelchair move his leg that has been immobile for years and hear him tell his story of recovery. A woman shares that her tumor has shrunk considerably and her markers are now so low. As my body suddenly reacts to the medicine again and my heart begins to race, the man next to me prays over me, and it brings me peace. The woman next to me looks into my tear-filled eyes with compassionate understanding. Jesus is here. He is performing healings today and tomorrow and will soon accomplish His purpose (see Luke 13:32).
May we allow the Lord to gather all the parts of us and cover us with His protective, healing love. May our unwillingness soften and may we see Him in the ordinary and miraculous. Despite our circumstances, may we offer a sacrifice of praise: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 13:35)
Relate to the Lord // What miracles is the Lord working around you right now. Ask for the eyes to see.
Mary Catherine “Mave” Craige spent years as a life coach helping others to achieve their dreams, and she now pursues her own dream as a professional artist. Her inspiration is the beauty of nature, specifically the human person as the epitome of creation. Hailing from the rolling hills of Virginia, she now calls the west coast of Florida home. When she is not making art, you may find her dancing, playing music, or out on the water either surfing or sailing.
You can find more about her here
@mave_art
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