Daily Gospel Reflection
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August 7, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
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.
In Djibouti, one of the poorest and hottest countries in the world, I lived next door to the Missionaries of Charity sisters. Nearly every morning, I would hear the sisters prepare to deny themselves and serve Jesus. They each prayed for Jesus to “Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence in my soul. Let them look up, and see no longer me, but only Jesus!”
The sisters would then minister to those left behind, those abandoned, like the man saved by the Good Samaritan. By consistently denying personal recognition and well-being, one could easily see that these sisters were disciples of Jesus.
In a different context but with similar intentions, I witnessed resident assistants in Keenan Hall deny themselves an hour of sleep or a night with friends to counsel their brother Knights precisely because following Jesus compelled them to put their residents first every day. Now, I see it in my wife, who follows Jesus by putting the needs of our young children before her own.
We can read these words of Jesus to his first followers and make them feel out of reach in our daily lives, comparing ourselves to the Missionaries of Charity sisters or others who make remarkable sacrifices. Yet, discipleship allows us to make choices many times a day to deny ourselves and follow Jesus, who came to the earth to serve. The stories of the first Christians and saints like Mother Teresa and her disciples living out Jesus’ words might sound dramatic to us now, but they simply remained faithful where they were planted.
To strive for ultimate greatness, that which requires sacrificial love, begins and ends with looking beyond ourselves toward Jesus on the cross every day.
Prayer
God of all wisdom and grace, you call us to proclaim the truth of our faith wherever your Spirit leads us. Give us courage and determination to follow your Son, even to the cross. 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. Cajetan lived in the early 1500s in Italy, at a time when the Church was marked by corruption and indifference. In response, like an effective team captain rallying other players, he reenergized a community of priests who reformed the Church with their zeal and service to the poor.
He was born in 1480 to noble parents and attended the University of Padua, where he dedicated himself to studies and prayer. He received doctorates in civil and canon law and returned to his hometown, where he was appointed a senator. After a time, he discerned a call to the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 33.
He began to gather other priests around him to care for the poor and sick. Because Cajetan was of noble status, he could have selected anywhere to minister—at court, or in the hierarchy at the Vatican. Instead, he sought out the priests who were living and working among the people of the streets. Though this offended his friends, he persisted. He even founded a bank to offer poor people an alternative to loan sharks.
The group founded a hospital for those suffering from incurable diseases. He told his brother clerics that in church, “we try to serve God by worship; in our hospital we may say that we actually find him."
The Church itself was sick at that time—many of the clergy were corrupt and indifferent. Cajetan and his community of brother priests decided to formalize their efforts as a religious community dedicated to zeal and to spreading authentic faith through their personal witness. They preached, cared for the sick, encouraged people to receive the sacraments frequently, and urged pastors to live a dedicated life of service.
He spent the rest of his life working to reform the Church and mediating civil conflicts. His community of priests went on to play a key role in the reformation of the Church. When he fell ill in 1547, his doctors ordered him to lie on a mattress instead of the bare boards he used for his bed. “My savior died on a cross,” Cajetan said. “Allow me at least to die on wood.”
St. Cajetan’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is the patron saint of workers and of those seeking employment.
St. Cajetan, who led priests and rallied the Church with his zeal and commitment to the poor, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Cajetan is in the public domain. Last accessed March 28, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
