Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 13, 2025
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
What would I have done if I were fishing on the Sea of Galilee like those first disciples? Would I be able to answer that call—to drop everything and follow Jesus? Jesus calls his disciples to follow him and promises to make them “fishers of men.” They did not yet know the persecution that would come with this call. Each would later be willing to become a martyr as a witness to Jesus Christ.
While on a pilgrimage recently, I visited the Missionaries of Charity in Rome. In each chapel, the words “I Thirst” are next to Jesus on the cross. In her works, Saint Mother Teresa sought to satiate Jesus’ thirst for love. How can we show our love for Jesus? We can be obedient and follow the two commandments he gave us: love God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus calls each of us every day to follow him, to help spread the gospel through our words and actions, and to strive to become saints. He chooses us. Thanks to the gift of free will from God the Father, it’s up to us how we will answer this call. Why is opening our hearts to Jesus and accepting his love so hard? We get so busy with our own lives, running from one activity to another, focused on things of this world. We let our weaknesses and sins harden our hearts.
The saints remind us to focus on heavenly things and God above. Today, we stand on the shoulders of these early church leaders and saints. It is highly unlikely that we will endure trials as severe as those of the early disciples, let alone Jesus’ suffering. At most, we may encounter ridicule for our beliefs, words, or actions. Although there will be challenges and distractions, may we be bold and courageous in accepting Jesus’ call and trusting in him to open our hearts to his love.
Prayer
Almighty God, the first apostles left everything behind when Jesus invited them to follow him. Give us that same courage, so that we might follow you joyfully. Do not allow us to cling to the familiar things of this world, but instead increase our faith in your divine providence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Hilary was hailed by the best minds of his age as an “illustrious” teacher and a “most eloquent man”—high praise from St. Augustine and St. Jerome, two of the greatest theologians the Church has ever known.
He lived in the fourth century and was born and raised in Gaul, what is now France. His family was not Christian, and Hilary came to the faith through intellectual study. His curiosity and reasoning led him to refute polytheism, and when he started seeking one God, he found Scripture. The story of Moses, where God’s identity is revealed as “I am who am,” captivated him, and he immersed himself in the other writings. He was baptized as an adult in his 30s.
Before his conversion, he was married and had a daughter, and his family followed him when the people chose him as bishop of Poitiers. He adamantly refused his selection out of humility, but that just made the people want him more.
As bishop, his learning served the people of his region, and the Church as a whole. He wrote a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, which still exists, and was an effective orator and poet. He once said that it was the work of his life to use all of his gifts to announce God to the world. He encouraged people to begin and end every action with a prayer.
Hilary fearlessly sought and defended truth—an important quality during his age, which was marked by the Arian heresy, a strain of thought that distorted the nature of Jesus. Because of his opposition to this heresy, and the political forces behind it, he was cast into exile for three years. He departed from Poitiers with an attitude as though he were leaving for a vacation—he welcomed the dangers and hardships he would face and kept his attention focused on God alone.
During his exile, he continued to write; one of his most important works from that time was about the Trinity. The earliest hymns we have in the Latin tradition can be traced to Hilary.
When he was restored to Poitiers, he was welcomed with a great celebration among the people. He was known as a gentle and friendly man, but was unflinching when he faced those who obstinately opposed the true faith.
Hilary died in 368, and was declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to 37 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. He is patron saint of children with disabilities, mothers, and sick people; his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Hilary of Poitiers, you are the doctor of the Church who is patron saint of children with disabilities, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Hilary of Poitiers is in the public domain. Last accessed November 14, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.