Daily Gospel Reflection

Look for Heaven

Hi, I'm Matthew Kelly. Welcome back to Radical and Relevant, where we are exploring the genius of the gospel and how to apply it to our lives. Today's gospel comes from Mark 1:7-11, and we're encountering John the Baptist again. And John the Baptist preached, saying, "'After me comes He who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.' In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan, and when he came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove, and a voice came from heaven. 'You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

So, we're hearing a different version of this reading. We heard another version just a few days ago. Sometimes when we're encountering the gospel like this, it's easy to think, "Okay, I've heard that one." And that's why we're trying to dive into it in new levels by looking for a word, a phrase, or an idea, and a virtue.

So, the phrase that I picked today is, "Saw the heavens open." When is the last time you caught a glimpse of heaven? And are you looking for that? Are we even aware that that's a possibility, that we can catch glimpses of heaven in this life, that we can catch those glimpses in other people, we can catch those glimpses through spiritual experiences, but we can catch those glimpses, and those glimpses can be very inspiring and can be very hope-filling in a world where hope can sometimes seem to be a little bit in short supply. And so as you go out into the day today, I encourage you to be looking for heaven, looking for glimpses of heaven throughout the moments of your day.

The virtue I chose today is obedience. The last line of the gospel is, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." What is God well pleased about in your life? And when we discover what that is, what do we discover? It's the things where we align with God, where we align with His values, when we align with His joy, when we align with His way of doing things. And so there's a real connection between the will of God, holiness, happiness, and God being pleased with us as His children. Have a great day and remember, don't just be yourself, be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be