September 11, 2025 // Thursday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Luke 6:27-38
Reflect on the Word //
I’d been really anticipating the holiday, but my excitement was dashed a few days prior when a miscommunication and someone else’s desires led to changed plans. I was annoyed that I cared so much, and felt selfish for “overreacting.” I told myself it wasn’t a big deal, but couldn’t shake the disappointment.
Still, the hurt lingered, so I mentioned it to my spiritual director. I was shocked when she suggested I was having difficulty forgiving. Forgiveness hadn’t even been on my radar because this person hadn’t intended to hurt me. I imagined my disappointment was my fault. Yet relationships are a two-way street, and I had to acknowledge the impact of another’s actions in order to be freed by forgiveness.
Thanks to my spiritual director’s wisdom, I finally admitted the pain this person’s actions had caused me. Once I’d fully acknowledged it, I was able to extend forgiveness and mercy that brought lasting inner peace.
As we sit with our Lord’s challenging words in today’s Gospel, we’re confronted with very real wounds of rejection, indignity, and injustice. It may seem the Lord is telling us to ignore healthy boundaries or turn a blind eye to the evils that assail us.
On the contrary, Jesus is inviting us to adopt a posture of true humility with intentionality, a posture that recognizes the inherent dignity in ourselves and others, instead of reducing another’s identity to their words or actions. It is never our place as humans to judge another person’s soul, nor assume the intent behind their actions, which is complex and layered in our wounded humanity. However, neither should we misunderstand the command to “stop judging” (Luke 6:37) as a directive to ignore evil and its effects on us. We must prudently identify evil when it occurs—and acknowledge the full extent of the damage it causes—if we hope to fully heal from the effects of evil and truly forgive others.
Intentionally or not, imperfect people will continue to hurt us. Our Lord shows us a path forward—one that acknowledges their fallen humanity and ours—while always upholding both their eternal dignity and our own.
Relate to the Lord // Whom do you need to forgive? Talk to the Lord about it and ask for the grace to forgive.
Megan Hjelmstad is a wife, enthusiastic hockey mom, and Army Veteran living in Denver, CO. In her “spare” time she serves as a Catholic Writer, Speaker, and Women’s Mentor, helping women to embrace their God-given dignity and deepen their prayer relationship with the Lord. She is the author Offer it Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Suffering, a writer for SpiritualDirection.com, and a longtime team member of Blessed is She. Megan adores books, sleep, sunshine, and Colorado’s great outdoors almost as much as she adores Jesus in the Eucharist. Learn more at MeganHjelmstad.com.
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