Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
December 22, 2025
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.
College has turned me into a frequent LinkedIn user. Through use of this website, dedicated entirely to professional development and networking, I am now adept at compiling my accomplishments and experience into neatly bulleted lists of transferable skills…in other words, making myself look impressive. It is tempting to translate this tendency to bolster my impressiveness into my daily life, to subtly boast about my abilities, or try to amaze those around me. It is easy to forget that my life is not about me. It is about Jesus.
Mary had, perhaps, the most legitimate reason to boast. What greater accomplishment is there than being chosen to bear and raise the Son of God? But instead of glorifying herself, Mary glorifies God. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,” she prays.”The Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”
In her Magnificat, Mary extols the truth that I, all too often, fail to remember: that my life, and everything that I have been given, is not my own. My abilities and accomplishments are not wholly mine; they are gifts from Jesus. Thus, I have no reason to boast, because any impressive aspect of me comes from him. I am at Notre Dame because Jesus allowed me to be; my neurons fire because he wove them into my gray matter; I have faith in him because he placed me in an environment where I would come to know him; I exist only because he wanted me. It doesn’t matter how impressive I appear to be…everything that I have is his.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may our hearts rejoice for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we grow each day in our faith and humility by always trusting your Divine Providence. Help us to leave behind past humiliations and to look forward to the future glory which you offer to us each and every day. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Thomas Holland was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation.
He was born to a noble family of England in 1600 and was sent to France and Spain for his education. He entered the Jesuit order in 1624 and was ordained a priest soon afterwards. After teaching and serving spiritual needs in France and Belgium, he was sent as a missionary to England, where being Catholic was forbidden.
He was well-suited to be a missionary in the Catholic underground community in London—he spoke flawless Spanish, French, and Flemish, and was known to be very good at taking on various disguises.
On Oct. 4, 1642, he was arrested in the street for a vague suspicion and was imprisoned. He was tried for being a priest—though there was no evidence for this charge, he refused to swear that he was not a priest, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death.
When he returned to prison to await his execution, he heard many confessions and was even allowed to celebrate Mass several times.
He was executed on this date in 1642, and was led from the prison in a cart. When they arrived to the place of execution, he stood and addressed the large crowd that had gathered to watch. He confessed to being a Catholic, a priest, and a Jesuit, and then placed the noose around his own neck and forgave the judge and jury who had convicted him. He then forgave his executioner and gave him a few coins he had in his pocket. The cart pulled away and he was left to hang till dead.
Blessed Thomas Holland, you were the master of disguise who ministered to underground English Catholics, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Thomas Holland is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
