Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 27, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
“Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant,
whom the master has put in charge of his household
to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’
and begins to beat his fellow servants,
and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day
and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely
and assign him a place with the hypocrites,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
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.
Last August, my son began his first days of preschool. As we dropped him off, my heart overflowed with hope for him to enjoy school, make friends, and delight in learning. One year ago today, far away from my son’s school, the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during their all-school Mass shattered my illusions of sanctuary. My heart broke for the Annunciation families, and my faith drowned in fear. I began practicing an anxious vigilance over my children on neighborhood walks, at playgrounds, and in stores. The painful awareness that I might drop off my children somewhere, trusting that they’ll be safe, and then never see them again was paralyzing. I imagine a similar agony endures for the Annunciation families still today.
In today’s gospel, Jesus warns us, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” In the wake of tragedy, the command to “stay awake” and keep vigil can feel like a threat. Yet, on this memorial of Saint Monica, our tradition offers a more profound way to keep watch.
Monica, like many holy women before and after her, knew grief in motherhood. Through relentless prayer, her grief became a persistent, decades-long vigil over her son, Augustine, in praying for his conversion. Scripture shows us a sacred lineage of mothers who have loved and lost, and we know them from Rachel’s mourning to Naomi’s heartbreak to Mary, wordless, at the foot of the cross. These women remind me that sorrow is not a failure of faith or a surrender to despair; it is a holy insistence that love has the final word, and it is resolute.
Waiting for the Lord in a broken world means standing guard in prayer, refusing to let fear harden my heart. Today, as we remember the heartbreak at Annunciation Catholic School, we join the vigil of Saint Monica. Lord Jesus, bless all those who weep this day, and unite us in hope for the day you will come again.
Prayer
O God of our longing, you call us to wake from our slumber, to be always ready for your arrival. Open our hearts for your presence among us. May we not stumble among the wicked and not be unprepared by our sinfulness and apathy. May we hear your voice with courage and hope. May we be awakened to your healing grace and be steadfast in your call to serve others. May we hear only the sounds of your loving voice, inviting us safely beyond our selfish ways as we wait in joyful hope for your coming among us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Monica was, above all, a stubborn mother.
She was married at a young age to an adulterous government official with a violent temper. Years of Monica’s patience and prayer converted him to Christianity just before he died. She prayed unceasingly for her children as well, especially for her brilliant but wayward son, Augustine. Priests learned to avoid her because of her persistence in asking for prayers for him.
She followed Augustine as he pursued studies in Carthage and Rome, praying at shrines and chapels the whole way. They both finally arrived at Milan, where they met St. Ambrose. It was under Ambrose’s guidance that Augustine fulfilled his potential and became one of the most brilliant writers and thinkers the Church has ever known. After 17 years of constant prayer, Monica saw her son baptized when he was 32; St. Augustine’s feast day is tomorrow.
St. Monica is the patron saint of alcoholics, victims of abuse and adultery, widows, and mothers facing family difficulties. Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Her story and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Monica, your prayer brought your family to Christ, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Monica is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.