Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 27, 2025
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test.”
And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you,
if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
After graduating from Notre Dame, I lived in a community with Maryknoll lay brothers and sisters in El Paso, Texas. The Maryknoll community works as lay missionaries to the poor and marginalized, particularly migrants escaping harm who have just made it to the US. They provide legal aid services, warm meals, organize educational immersion programs, and work with other Catholic organizations to provide emergency shelter to migrants.
Today’s passage in Luke reminds me of my experience finding hope in faith amid the complexity and brokenness at the border. This simple prayer reminds me to enter a dialogue of grace with everyone I encounter because my debts have been forgiven.
Seeing how the Maryknoll lay brothers and sisters lived their lives with purpose and conviction in the small actions they took, rather than in the riches of this world, such as chasing the next career move or a larger paycheck, spoke to the virtue of simplicity. A small stipend provided for their daily bread, yet they lived with immense purpose in meeting the needs of the most vulnerable members of society.
Now more than ever, we have an opportunity to live with the grace Jesus calls us to in this prayer. Let us remember to be grateful for our daily bread, the forgiveness afforded to us by Jesus, and show grace to the most vulnerable.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, your Son taught us to pray trusting that you are always ready to give good gifts to all your children. We pray for ourselves, family, friends, and for all the Church. Forgive us our sins and send the Holy Spirit upon us that we may have ever greater faith in your love for us. Help us to always forgive others from the heart and to respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters with the same love you have shown us. Blessed be your holy name, now and forever, Amen.
Saint of the Day
Sts. Aurelius and Natalia, a Christian married couple in Islamic-controlled Spain, were martyred when they decided to refrain from hiding their faith any longer.
Aurelius was the son of a Spanish woman who had married a Muslim; they were a family of distinction in Cordoba. Both of his parents died when he was a boy, and Aurelius was left in the care of an aunt, who raised him as a Christian.
As he grew and matured, he was Christian in secret and Muslim to all appearances. He married a woman who was also from a half-Muslim family, and after their wedding, she converted to Christianity, taking the name Natalia at her baptism.
One day, Aurelius saw a man from Cordoba beaten and humiliated for standing up for his Christian faith; he was led through the city on a donkey to be gawked at. The sight moved Aurelius, and he was ashamed that he had protected his safety instead of publicly proclaiming his faith.
By this time, Aurelius and Natalia had two young children, and they worried that if they were public with their faith, they would be martyred and would leave their children destitute. They consulted a holy man in the Christian community, St. Eulogius, who advised them to make arrangements for their children to be cared for and raised as Christians if anything happened to them.
Aurelius and Natalia’s discernment inspired a relative to return to the faith. Felix was Aurelius’ cousin and was raised a Christian, but had turned away to practice Islam. Felix’s wife, Liliosa, remained faithful, and when he returned to the faith, they joined Aurelius and Natalia in reaching out to support imprisoned Christians. They even came to know that man whom Aurelius had seen paraded through the streets.
Aurelius welcomed to his home a traveling monk, George, who came from a monastery in Jerusalem and was traveling to beg for alms to support his community. The two became close friends.
Natalia and Liliosa decided to openly visit the Christian churches in Cordoba with their faces open and unveiled. They were spotted and watched. When the two couples were gathered at Aurelius’ house to celebrate the Mass, they were all arrested, along with the visiting monk, George.
They were all charged with turning away from Islam and condemned to death. As a foreigner, George was given leniency and permitted to leave, but he chose to stay with the faithful couples and to be martyred with them.
Relics of St. Aurelius rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Sts. Aurelius and Natalia, the Christians who inspired their relatives to boldly proclaim the faith in the face of martyrdom, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Natalia is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed March 20, 2025.