Hello everyone.
Hey yo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where we read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started.
Today is Tuesday, September 1st, and the Gospel reading is Luke 4:31 through 37, and the scripture to reflect on is Luke 4:35.
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent and come out of him.
And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.
Jesus is always in charge.
In the synagogue that day, Jesus saw an evil spirit that was doing wrong by controlling a man, so he banished the evil spirit with the command, Be quiet and come out.
Why do you think the evil spirit had to obey Jesus and come out of the man?
The evil spirit knew that Jesus’s power to make him obey even by just speaking, because he knew Jesus was God’s Son.
Jesus is Lord over everyone and everything in heaven and earth.
The evil spirit had to obey Jesus because he knew Jesus was the Son of God.
Angels and us, as believers in him, obey Jesus for a different reason, because we love him and want to follow him.
Jesus is not only a teacher; he is someone who has God’s authority and power.
But Jesus always uses his power with love and compassion.
Today’s Gospel reading helps us remember that Jesus cares when we are hurting and is strong enough to help us, and Jesus’s words bring us peace and hope.
We can trust in him.
Today’s saint of the day is Saint Giles.
He was born in the 7th century and his death is unknown.
He is the patron saint of the poor, the disabled, and those seeking God’s mercy.
Giles wanted to live a simple life close to God, so he became a hermit.
He prayed in the forest, living humbly and quietly.
People admired his holiness, and a monastery was built where he prayed, which became a place of healing and refuge for the poor and sick.
Saint Giles is remembered as one of the fourteen holy helpers and the only non-martyr asked to pray for protection against the Black Death.
One of the most well-known legends about Saint Giles is the story of his encounter with a wounded deer.
According to the tale, he was living in the forest.
A wounded deer sought refuge in his hermitage, and he nursed it back to health.
The deer then shared its milk with him.
Saint Giles reminds us that living simply, praying humbly, and caring for those also brings us closer to God.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, you are our Lord and our God.
Help me to trust in you always, and help us to care and pray for people like Saint Giles.
Saint Giles, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow, scattering more flowers.
See ya.