December 14, 2013:

Read It:
Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Reflect on It: This gospel always makes me chuckle a little bit, because it's as if Jesus can't win. John the Baptist comes and they reject him because his life is set apart. Jesus comes and does that they ask and they reject him. He just can't win. Poor guy. I think that this shows how our lives are marked...sometimes, we're just not going to be able to win...What I love at the same time is the last line, Wisdom is vindicated by her works...we know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that eventually, in the Kingdom of heaven, we are vindicated. Are you willing to be rejected today for Christ?

Pray about It: God our Father, you teach us to be like you in all things. Help us to be willing to live for you, even when it's hard and makes us unpopular.

Live It Challenge: Today, think about one way that you can live more boldly for Christ and act upon it.