LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | Memorial of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
I reveal Myself in ways the world may reject—I offer you wisdom, not suspicion.
LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | Memorial of Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
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GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
I reveal Myself in ways the world may reject—I offer you wisdom, not suspicion.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Luke 7:31-35
Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.'
For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, 'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The Childishness of Complaint vs. the Wisdom of Faith
Jesus compares His generation to children playing games in the marketplace—calling out but never satisfied. When others don’t respond the way they want, they sulk and criticize. It’s a stinging image. He applies it to the way people rejected both John the Baptist and Himself: John’s austerity was called demonic; Jesus’ table fellowship was called gluttony. No matter what God did, the people found fault.
The heart of the problem is not the style of the messenger but the stubbornness of the hearer. When the heart is closed, no amount of music—joyful flute or mournful dirge—will move it. But when the heart is open, wisdom can be recognized in any form, and it bears fruit.
The same danger lurks for us today. How often do we explain away God’s call because it comes in an unexpected package? A priest too stern, a teacher too gentle, a spouse too flawed, a child too messy—and we miss God’s voice because it doesn’t meet our expectations. Yet Jesus insists that wisdom is proved right not by appearances, but by its children—by the fruits of transformed lives.
Parents, our homes can easily fall into the “marketplace game.” We criticize instead of listen, complain instead of act, measure everything by our mood instead of by God’s word. What if, instead, we became homes where wisdom was welcomed, even when it came in surprising ways? What if our children saw us receive correction humbly, rejoice in holiness wherever it appears, and pray over them by name, asking God for discerning hearts that recognize His voice?
To follow Christ means trading childish complaint for childlike faith. The question is not, “Does this message fit my preferences?” but “Is God speaking here?” Wisdom is vindicated by her children—may our homes be among them.
“By his reason, man recognizes the voice of God which urges him ‘to do what is good and avoid what is evil.’ Everyone is obliged to follow this law” (CCC 1706).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Closed Ears: Where am I tempted to dismiss God’s message because the messenger doesn’t fit my expectations?
Family Wisdom: How can I help my children distinguish between childish complaint and true childlike openness to God?
Fruit Check: What “children of wisdom”—what fruits—are showing in our home right now?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person share one way they’ve been tempted to complain instead of listen.
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, give [Name] a heart that listens. Free them from the spirit of complaint, silence the lies of the Enemy, and fill them with Your wisdom. Make them childlike in trust, eager to follow You, and joyful in recognizing Your presence everywhere.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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