Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 18, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
My last name begins with a W, so from kindergarten until my high school graduation, it felt like I was usually near the back of the line. As a child, I remember thinking it must be nice to have a last name that begins with A, B, or C. But looking back, I can’t recall that I truly missed out on anything. I got to play at recess and received my diploma just like everyone else. Yet there seems to be something in our culture and perhaps in human nature that often makes us want to be first. We aim to board the plane first, to sit in the front row at a concert, to attend the best-ranked school, to get a job with a higher salary.
When we listen to today’s gospel, we stand to be just as astonished as the disciples when they hear Jesus say, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” Astonishment can be disorienting—we think we know how things work and then realize we don’t. But astonishment can also bring with it a sense of wonder.
Jesuit priest Peter G. van Breemen writes, “To let God be God means to accept the divine mystery, and therefore to live in wonder and suspense.” When we let God be God, we can expect surprises. Young or old, rich or poor, we don’t know how God will work out our salvation or the troubles we face today.
When I’m working out a problem, and I come up against the limits of my own human thinking and imagination, I can take comfort in Jesus’ assurance that “for God all things are possible.” I can let myself be astonished.
Prayer
Christ our teacher, you call each of us to be free of the things that enslave us, and enter into the true freedom of the children of God. Open our hearts, that we may accept your invitation, “Come, follow me.” Give us the grace today to commit our whole selves more fully to you. Help us especially this day to overcome any attachments in our lives that prevent us from following you as energetically as we can. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Helen did more than perhaps any other female saint (aside from Mary) to spread the good news and establish the faith around the world.
She had humble beginnings—she was the daughter of an innkeeper in ancient Rome. In about 270, the Roman general Constantius Chlorus met her at her family’s inn and married her. When he was made caesar, he was influenced to divorce her; by that time, Helen had already given birth to a son, Constantine.
When Constantius died, Helen’s son, Constantine, was acclaimed caesar by the army. Later, he was declared emperor, and in 313 issued the famous Edict of Milan, which ceased the persecution of Christians and promoted their toleration.
At about this time, Helen converted to the faith. Though she was 63 when she joined the Church, she had great zeal—it seemed as though she were making up for lost time. She wore simple, plain clothes to attend Mass at churches in Rome and supported the poor liberally with the resources at her disposal.
When Constantine’s power spread eastward, Helen visited Palestine to see the places where Jesus lived and died. She wanted to find those places and objects that were sacred to Christians and to preserve them for later generations. She is credited with finding the “true cross” on which Jesus was executed, and she built churches in Bethlehem, on the Mt. of Olives, and over the tomb of Jesus.
She spent the remainder of her life in the Holy Land, praying and supporting the Church there. She continued to live humbly, and when she met pilgrims, she showed them the greatest reverence, even serving them at the table and washing their hands.
She used her position of power to support the poor and those who were suffering—wounded soldiers, mine workers, and the imprisoned. She built churches and adorned many more. She died in 330.
The relics of St. Helen rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, as does a fragment from the true cross that she discovered. She is depicted there in stained glass.
St. Helen, you discovered the true cross and used your power to support the Church, pray for us!