Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 27, 2019
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he was alive
and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After this he appeared in another form
to two of them walking along on their way to the country.
They returned and told the others;
but they did not believe them either.
But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart
because they had not believed those
who saw him after he had been raised.
He said to them, “Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Imagine Mary Magdalene’s frustration at the apostles’ disbelief. She had seen the risen Lord! She, who had not abandoned him at the foot of his Cross, was the first to witness Christ’s Resurrection. And yet, “they did not believe.” The apostles are skeptical, refusing to trust Mary’s testimony.
It’s easy to fall into the error of the apostles.
Our hearts are often the first to recognize God. Each of us longs for fulfillment, thirsts for beauty, and searches for meaning. Through our daily experiences, Christ shows us that he is the answer to these desires. When I see the sunset behind the Dome, receive forgiveness from a friend, or feel wonder at a new discovery in neuroscience, my heart is irresistibly moved. I am reminded of my encounter with Christ, and—like Mary Magdalene—my heart is quick to proclaim the Good News.
However, our heads often resist this recognition of God. We stifle the longings of our hearts with our own plans, ideas, and calculations. We analyze faith as an exterior fact rather than live it as an internal experience. Ultimately, we do not trust in God. Like the apostles, we allow our skepticism to reign.
Like the apostles, we cannot always grasp the truth when it is spoken to us. Today’s Gospel shows that we are grasped by the Truth. Christ chooses to enter our daily lives, despite our hardness of heart. The Risen Christ shows himself to us again and again through our neighbor and our experiences, shattering our deafness and driving away our blindness. Today, we are invited to be open to that encounter. Where in your daily life does your heart recognize the Lord? How will you respond?
Prayer
God of all wisdom and grace, you fill us with unwavering zeal to proclaim the truth of our faith wherever your Spirit leads us. Give us courage and determination to live out our faith even amid this harsh and challenging world. May our lives reflect your radiance as you lead us into your promise of everlasting life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Zita is a popular Italian saint whose extreme popularity far outstrips her humble life.
Zita was born around the year 1212 in the Tuscan region of northern Italy. To help out her impoverished family, Zita took a position in the household of a wealthy landowner. Zita was not always treated with kindness and respect, and she was often overburdened with work from her employers and the other servants who worked with her.
Despite the ill-treatment, Zita remained patient and kind towards all her coworkers. Through her persistent charity, Zita managed to persevere in a Christ-like joy. Her witness inspired her employers to become more devoted Christians. Zita went to Mass each morning, which gave her the energy to persevere in love, even in the midst of pain.
One commonly told anecdote about Zita recounts the presence of angels at her work station in the kitchen. Zita left her work one morning to care for a family in need. Other servants in the kitchen, hoping to get her in trouble, reported to the Fatinelli family that Zita had left her post, accusing her of shirking her work and being lazy. When Zita's employers came down to the kitchen to investigate, they found angels in the kitchen, baking the bread in Zita's place.
Zita died on April 27, 1272. She had lived to be sixty years old. The Fatinelli family immediately started praying to Zita and invoking her aid. Through their intercession, Zita became a widely invoked saint. Over 150 miracles were credited to her before Zita was canonized in 1696.
In 1580, Zita's body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. Since then, it has been on display for veneration at the Basilica in Lucca. For centuries, families have baked a loaf of bread on St. Zita's feast. You can participate in this tradition by baking one of the bread recipes for St. Zita's day with your family or friends.
St. Zita, patron saint of household workers and finding lost keys—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Zita is available for use under a Creative Commons license. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
