Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 5, 2025
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side of the sea,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret.
When the men of that place recognized him,
they sent word to all the surrounding country.
People brought to him all those who were sick
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak,
and as many as touched it were healed.
I was sitting in the delivery room, full of nervous energy and anxiety, awaiting the birth of my first son. A million questions running through my head: Will the birth go smoothly? Will the baby be healthy? Will I know how to be a good father? And… will he be a Notre Dame fan?
Like many other times in my life, the feeling of not being able to control the situation settled in quickly. I’ve wrestled with anxiety for as long as I can remember, not the kind that stops life in its tracks, but the kind that simmers under the surface, especially when outcomes are uncertain and stakes feel high.
But no matter how much I prepare, I’ve learned that losing faith in God’s plan almost always opens the door to fear and anxiety. Peter believed he was ready. He stepped out onto the water with conviction. But the moment his focus shifted from Jesus to the storm, fear took over, and he began to sink. I’m struck by the urgency in his voice as he cries out, “Lord, save me!” There’s a trace of desperation there, maybe even frustration. I know that feeling: when an unexpected obstacle throws everything off course, or when progress stalls on something I care deeply about. It’s that familiar edge of “Why is this happening?” even when I thought I was doing everything right.
What strikes me most in this passage is that Jesus immediately reaches out his hand to save Peter. Even as he gently rebukes him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” he doesn’t hesitate to pull him back to safety. Jesus is always there to welcome us back home. Our fear, our doubt, even our frustration don’t disqualify us from God’s love.
In the end, our beautiful baby boy was born on January 19, 2023. It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing—delivery rarely is—but he is healthy and full of life. Today, he’s thriving, and yes, proudly singing the Notre Dame fight song.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are merciful, compassionate, and fully understand our human weakness. You know our fears, the things that hold us back from trusting you and from becoming fully ourselves. But you won’t let us use those things as an excuse. You always challenge us to grow, and with the challenge comes the grace to meet it. Thank you for caring so much about us. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Rome is home to the four most important church buildings in Catholicism. The first is St. Peter’s Basilica, located in the Vatican. The other three are the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where the Pope serves as bishop of Rome; the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the tomb of the apostle Paul; and the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The Church honors these four churches in the liturgical year because they are pilgrimage sites and they connect all the faithful with the Pope and the universal Church. The Basilica of St. Mary Major is so called because it is the oldest church dedicated to God in honor of Mary. It serves the Church as the oldest Marian shrine for pilgrims.
The origins of this Basilica are wrapped in legend. Two Roman Christians, a Roman official named John and his wife, received a vision from Mary in 358. They were childless and wanted to dedicate their estate to Mary, so they prayed to her for a sign as to how this should be done. She appeared to them both in dreams and told them that a prominent hill in the city would be covered with snow, and this is where they should build a church.
John immediately told the Pope, who had the same dream, and they went to the hill to find it covered in snow on this date, during the hottest time of the year. The pope then walked through the snow to mark out the outline of the church that was to be built there.
This story probably cannot be trusted, but it is the origin of one of Mary’s titles, Our Lady of the Snow. The church building was originally the palace of a prominent family before being transformed into a church in the 300s. Later, it was restored and consecrated to Mary after the Council of Ephesus in 432, where the Church came to understand and proclaim Mary as the Mother of God. It was decorated with artwork depicting Mary and Jesus, and a relic from the manger in Bethlehem was used in a reconstruction of the nativity there.
On this feast day in the Basilica in Rome, flower petals are dropped from the ceiling to recall the legend of Our Lady of the Snow. The Basilica of St. Mary Major is also the site of an important commemoration of Christmas in Rome because of its famous nativity scene.
Notre Dame’s own Basilica of the Sacred Heart contains relics from the nativity as well—pieces of the manger that held Jesus, and parts of the cloth in which he was swaddled.
On this feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, let us honor Mary as the Mother of God!
Image Credit: Our featured image of the Basilica of Mary Major is available for use under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
