My Daily Reflection
September 17, 2026
1 Corinthians 15:1–11 • Psalm 118 • Luke 7:36–50
Posting about difficult issues taught me something I wasn’t expecting: defending what I believe is right is easier than loving the people who attack me for it.
Once I began writing about the challenging issues facing our communities and our nation, I knew people would disagree with me.
No problem.
I also had to accept the occasional insult, crude acronym, and prominent finger as part of the response.
Okay. But I wish they weren’t.
Today’s readings offer an important lesson for our faithful participation in public life:
As Christians, we should be capable of opposing an idea without despising the person who holds it.
We can call something wrong.
We can argue vigorously against it.
We can vote according to a well-formed conscience.
We can work to change laws and policies we believe violate human dignity.
But today’s Gospel adds something essential:
The person standing across from us is never merely an opponent.
He or she is someone for whom Christ died, just as He died for us.
That doesn’t weaken conviction. It changes the spirit in which we exercise it.
My takeaway:
Truth tells me when something is wrong.
Mercy reminds me that the person I believe is wrong is still someone God loves and desires to save.
Humility reminds me that I need saving too.
So I need to ask myself:
When I confront what I believe is wrong in our culture, do people see only my opposition, or can they also see Christ’s desire for their redemption?
The Christian calling is not simply to defend the truth.
It is to speak the truth in love.
