Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 10, 2024
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn,
he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come.”
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons
throughout the whole of Galilee.
Reflection
As I write this reflection, I’m in my office with a photo of my late mother, Linda DeCicco, on my desk. She passed away from ovarian cancer this spring. Like Simon’s mother-in-law in today’s gospel, the first thing my mom would do is feed us—even during years of chemotherapy and the pain of her illness. In the months leading to her passing, she continued to feed and nurture her children and her grandchildren. She would say that an Italian mother can no more stop feeding her family than she can stop loving them.
This gospel passage is vivid and animated—Jesus travels alongside his disciples, ministering to the sick and troubled “throughout the whole of Galilee.” During this busy year, I had the privilege of traveling to Notre Dame’s Jerusalem Global Gateway just months before regional relations took an awful turn.
Some of my most treasured memories from Jerusalem are sitting with colleagues over delicious meals, nourishing our bodies and minds with good food, and even better conversation. It was restorative in many ways, and I am very grateful to our hosts there. My heart breaks for everyone in the area working so hard for peace.
So, as I reflect on a difficult and painful year for my family and me, and certainly for so many more, in so many ways, I feel thankful for the nurturing example of love, kindness, and compassion my mother provided to my family, my children, and me. I am in grateful awe of the courage and spirit of community extended by the team in Jerusalem that hosts faculty, students, and visitors as they encounter the Holy Land. This is the type of sustenance that keeps all of us moving forward.
Amid struggles, Jesus urges us to follow his example of getting to work and caring for one another. “Let us go on to the nearby villages, that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.”
Prayer
Lord, in healing Simon’s mother-in-law, you restored his family. We need you to restore health to our family and friends and to us. Please guide us to do all we can to bring healing and comfort to our minds, bodies, and those we love. Remove our anxiety and give us that peace and hope that surpasses human understanding. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Agatho was born in Sicily, Italy, sometime around the turn of the sixth century and spent most of his life as a married businessman. In his later years, he felt God calling him to become a monk, and with his wife’s blessing, he left the business world to become one.
Because of his business acumen, he was given responsibility for the treasury of the Church in Rome. He was later elected pope in 678. He only served as pope for three years, but accomplished several important things during that time. He resolved a dispute between clerics in England and convened an ecumenical council to articulate the nature of Jesus’ will, which was in dispute and the cause of several schisms. The council reunited the eastern Church in Constantinople with the Church in Rome—the representatives recognized that “Peter spoke by Agatho.”
St. Agatho was known as a kind and sweet man—his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He lived in difficult times, as barbarian invasions constantly interrupted life. Many people did not have the luxury of a refined education, such as he had, because they spent their time fighting or working to provide food and shelter. “But we preserve,” he said, “the faith that has been handed down to us.”
Pope St. Agatho, you left your life as a married businessman to lead the Church and heal divisions, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Agatho is in the public domain. Last accessed November 14, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.