Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
February 17, 2019
Jesus came down with the twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil
on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are filled now,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false
prophets in this way.”
I am humbled by the idea that we are who we are from the very moment we are even imagined by a higher power. From the moment we are born, we are formed with a purpose, with a very real intent and mission. Innately, each of us has a reason to be here just as we are. We are each a prophet for a nation of people, carriers of our own voice and we have an obligation and purpose to speak for others who perhaps cannot speak for themselves. We each truly have a purpose-driven life.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds those who are despairing that they do, indeed have a purpose. This resonates for me, particularly as I speak with friends and family who question their purpose, and their reason for being: those who feel separated and isolated because they appear, think or act differently than the status quo; those who are told they must change to fit in or shift their appearance to camouflage who they are.
Today’s beatitudes are a command from God not to allow our spirits to be crushed. Even as we experience seasons of desolation, we each hold a place in the world, as did those who came before us. The challenges to our purpose and the blows to our spirit have been felt before by others, and we should not allow them to define us.
Today’s Gospel reminds us to not get distracted by instant gratification but to keep our eyes on our long-term mission. We all may experience success, luck, and financial gain…just as we are each guaranteed to experience personal and financial loss, pain and fear. We are no better or no worse than others who have walked in our shoes, and our state is constantly changing. Instead of life’s changing forces propping us up too high or pulling us down too low, we are called to constantly remember our Creator as our reason for being.
I am called today to hold up my fellow human and love them for all that they are and all that they were made to be.
Prayer
Loving God, Jesus formed His message around Your Will and Your Kingdom of today’s Gospel. May the Poor, Hungry, Weeping, Abused and suffering from hate be held in Compassion today. May all believers move beyond their fears and wants to be servants of Love to those you honor as Your Beloved. We ask this through Jesus, Our Brother and Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Alexis Falconieri was a wealthy noble in one of Italy’s most wealthy and cultured cities, yet he left that life behind him when Mary visited him and asked him to dedicate his life to God. The spirituality he helped forge continues to shape the world, and even reaches to Notre Dame.
He was born in Florence in 1200, the son of a wealthy merchant. Even as a child, he was known for his piety and humility.
As a young man, he joined an organization dedicated to honoring the Blessed Virgin, and in 1233, he and six other men from this group received a vision of Mary. She asked these seven young nobles to dedicate their lives to God, and they did, founding a religious order. They took up a common life together, and were later again visited by Mary, who held a black habit and told them, "I have chosen you to be my first Servants, and under this name you are to till my Son's vineyard. Here, too, is the habit which you are to wear; its dark color will recall the pangs which I suffered on the day when I stood by the cross of my only Son.”
They named the community the Order of the Servants of Mary, now known as the Servites. The order spread, especially through Germany and France, and within a few years, some 10,000 had joined their community.
The Servites were the first to promote a special devotion to Mary under the title, Our Lady of Sorrows. This devotion had a great impact upon Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross—he placed the Congregation under her patronage. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Sept. 15, remains an important day in the lives of the priests, brothers, and sisters of Holy Cross.
After receiving his vision of Mary, St. Alexis left all he had, took on a vow of poverty, and depended upon others for his food and shelter. Just months earlier, he had been seen as one of the most prominent nobles of Florence, and now he was wandering the region begging alms for the support of the Servite community.
His humility remained a defining characteristic—he thought himself unworthy to seek ordination to the priesthood. Alexis lived for 110 years.
St. Alexis Falconieri, who left a life as a prominent noble to become a humble servant of Mary—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Alexis Falconieri is in the public domain. Modified from the original. Last accessed January 23, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
