Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 31, 2021
Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.
During my time at Notre Dame Law School, I served as an Assistant Rector in an undergraduate women’s hall. While in training for this role, I wondered how I would gain the trust and respect of the students, most of whom I had never met, and how I would fulfill my roles as authority figure, mentor, and friend.
As I was reassured and then quickly discovered, the students approached me for all sorts of things. By virtue of the nametag I wore and the title I held, students came to me and the rest of our hall staff with everything from mundane building maintenance requests to academic questions to relationship struggles. We would walk with these students during their highest highs and lowest lows. While we did little to deserve such an intimate place in their lives, it was a deeply humbling and formative privilege to accompany them through their joys and sorrows.
As we read in today’s passage, the words of Jesus are incredibly powerful, but the source of his authority was far more difficult for the people of his time to identify. “What is there about his word?”, they asked. During his life, there was no nametag or tangible marker to suggest to those around Jesus that they should trust him. But his divine authority was nonetheless overwhelming to those who encountered him because of the truth he spoke and the miracles he performed.
Whether as parents, teachers, members of hall staff, or in other roles, we all find ourselves entrusted with worldly authority at times. In these moments, let us follow in the ways of Jesus as teacher and servant. An authority figure’s title may initially bring those she serves to her, but it is the substance of her words and deeds that allows them to trust and to respect her. Let us recall the teachings of Jesus in both word and deed as we humbly live out our own authority in service to our communities.
Prayer
Lord, help us to understand the joy that the onlookers shared when they saw the defeat of hatred and the jealousy of the spirits that were attacking them. May we also experience your forgiveness when we admit our faults and trust in your mercy. May we be confident in our faith and may our good efforts, together with your mercy, bring us to salvation.
Saint of the Day
St. Raymond only barely survived his own birth, yet went on to lead many, even his captors, to new life in Christ.
Raymond was born in 1204 in Spain, though his mother died while in labor, which prompted his delivery by Caesarian operation. This is the origin of his surname, “Nonnatus,” which means “not born.”
His father planned for Raymond to join the royal court, but he felt called to religious life. His father then assigned him the task of overseeing one of the family farms. Raymond spent all of his time in prayer and in conversation with the shepherds and hired hands, so his father gave up on his plans.
Raymond became a priest and spent all he had to ransom Christians captured by Muslims. When he ran out of money, he gave his own life for another Christian and was sentenced to die. His captors realized that he would be worth more if he could bring a ransom, so he was imprisoned and tortured, but succeeded at converting some of his guards. To keep him from converting others, his captors bored holes through his lips and locked his mouth shut with a padlock.
He was eventually ransomed and lived the rest of his life as a poor monk; he died in 1240. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he is patron of expectant mothers. His relics rest in the Basilica.
St. Raymond Nonnatus, patron saint of expecting mothers, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Raymond Nonnatus is in the public domain. Last accessed March 27, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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