Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 6, 2025
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them
because they were troubled and abandoned,
like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”
Growing up on the Jersey Shore, I learned how to surf. Surfing was something I enjoyed and was an activity I did with my older brothers and dad. It was how the whole family bonded. My mom would often watch from the shore. My sister, if I hadn’t bothered her too much that week, would even take pictures from the beach.
When surfing, it is easy for me to watch the waves go by without picking any. I’ll tell myself, “Maybe the next one will be better… I was just a little out of position for that one… That one was just a little too big for me.” After a while, I have found myself a victim of never actually choosing any, because I fear I might miss the good ones. Soon, an hour passes, and I haven’t ridden anything. Meanwhile, my brothers have countless rides under their belts.
How often in our own lives do we remain in our current position of comfort? Are we open to what God can do if we step forward in trust?
Just as Jesus himself was moved with pity for his wandering sheep, so too we are called to go out into the world and aid in the harvest. Now is the time. Not tomorrow. Not in a couple of days. Not after we feel we are ready. The harvest is ripe now. We must lean into our faith and trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is talking to each of us in this call to action. We are all called to be saints. Not just us, but every person we encounter. So how might we lift our own gaze and the eyes of those around us to be fixed on Jesus, our shepherd? It is he whom we must draw near to if we hope to build the kingdom of God here on earth as we await his coming.
Prayer
Eternal God, you reveal the mysteries of the kingdom to those who put their faith in your promise of salvation. As we await the coming of your Son in glory, raise up men and women to bring your message of hope to a waiting world. Instill in them an unshakable trust in your divine providence and a zeal for ministry that will inspire your people to a deeper confidence in your saving power. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Nicholas is one of the most-loved and venerated saints in our tradition and is reportedly one of the most commonly painted saints. He was bishop of Myra, a city in what is now Turkey, during the Church's turbulent fourth century. Legends have filled in the large gaps in historical knowledge about his life.
One of the most famous stories celebrates Nicholas' generous gift-giving. Nicholas' parents died when he was young and left him with a large inheritance. Nicholas resolved to use the money for charitable works and learned of a man who had fallen into poverty. This man had three daughters, but because he could not support them nor provide a dowry for their marriage, he was going to sell them into slavery.
Nicholas learned of this family’s situation and, under the cover of darkness, tossed a bag of gold through the family’s window. The oldest daughter was soon married. The saint returned and performed the same act of kindness for the second daughter. When he approached to help the youngest daughter, the man was waiting for him, and when he recognized Nicholas, he was overwhelmed with gratitude, prostrating himself before the bishop in thanks.
After being chosen as bishop of Myra, Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured during the persecutions of Christians in the early fourth century. When the Christian emperor Constantine released Christians from prison, Nicholas returned to Myra, where he confronted pagans and those who distorted the faith among the people in his region.
According to tradition, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicea in 325, which established Christ as truly one in being with the Father, not a subordinate deity. Legend has it that Nicholas became so infuriated with Arius, who opposed the idea that Christ was fully equal to the Father—"there was a time when the Son was not," as his rallying cry went—that Nicholas slapped him across the face.
Because, for a long while, Nicholas was the only major saint located with his particular region of Turkey, there was fierce competition for his relics among the towns near Myra, and his remains were transported from town to town. The reliquary chapel in the Basilica, which, indeed, holds some relics of St. Nicholas, contains a stained glass image of his relics being transferred to Italy, where they putatively rest today. A recent discovery, however, shows that his body has returned to Turkey. Today's featured image shows St. Nicholas as bishop and comes from the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and is also the patron saint of children and newlyweds. Catholics in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands developed the custom of giving presents in his name on today, his feast day. Catholics still put out their shoes for sacks of gold coins, candies, or small gifts. Eventually, this practice of giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day grew into our contemporary American custom of giving gifts on Christmas Day.
St. Nicholas, whose generosity has inspired Christians for ages—pray for us!
To learn even more about Saint Nicholas, watch this video lecture from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
Image Credit: Italian, Portrait of a Figure Wearing a Mitre; Saint Nicholas, 18th century, pencil on laid paper. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, Gift of Luigi Gregori, AA1972.031.169.