Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
January 16, 2019
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.
“Thanks be to God,” my mother says every time a family member arrives home safely, a friend recovers from illness or she receives good news. That phrase always warms my heart. We almost lost Mom last May. After several unanswered phone calls, we had neighbors enter her home; they found Mom unresponsive. Two months later, after numerous tests, procedures and ER visits, Mom recovered and we happily celebrated her eightieth birthday this past July.
When we look back at difficult events in our lives, we may often breathe a sigh of relief. Living through the uncertainty, however, is an entirely different story. When someone we love encounters physical or mental pain, we want the happy ending—and quickly. It can be frustrating to be in the dark not only about the outcome but also about whether it will be happy. But that uncertainty is life. As my pastor often says, “We cannot know the outcome of the game if we are only in the third quarter.”
So, what can we do during the third quarter of the game? We can pray.
Novena? Check. Rosary? Check. Mass? Check. What else can we do?
Perhaps, it is not for us to do anything but go through the rest of the game with a grateful heart. Let us look to Jesus and his countless miracles, like the one in today’s Gospel. God’s love, with us in miracles and in uncertainty, will always fill our hearts with joy. It’s amazing, really. “Thanks be to God.”
Prayer
Lord, in healing Simon’s mother-in-law you restored his family. We need you to restore health to us, and to our family and friends. Please guide us to do all we can to bring healing and comfort to our minds and bodies and to those we love. Remove our anxiety and give us that peace and hope that surpasses human understanding. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Titian was born in the middle of the sixth century in Italy to a family of nobles. He was educated by Bishop Floriano of Oderzo and later ordained by him. He devoted himself to serving the poor, and also served as a treasurer of the diocese of Oderzo (a see that no longer exists). When Floriano was moved to another diocese, Titian was chosen the new bishop by popular acclaim. He resisted, trying to get Floriano to return, but eventually assumed the new pastoral responsibilities.
He was a devout man who modeled a holy life for his people and was known as an excellent preacher. Many miracles were said to have occurred at his tomb in Oderzo, and a small relic from St. Titian rests in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
The main body of his relics are the subject of an interesting story. When Oderzo was sacked by invading forces, people from the saint’s hometown of Eraclea tried to steal his relics, which were kept in a bronze urn. A fierce battle between people from Eraclea and Oderzo erupted over the relics and both towns agreed to a unique solution. They placed his relics in a wagon pulled by oxen, and decided that wherever the oxen stopped is where his relics would be housed. The oxen stopped in a town called Ceneda, and his relics remain there today.
St. Titian of Oderzo, you were the faithful bishop who led his people by word and example—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Titian of Oderzo is available for use under a Creative Commons license. Last accessed November 14, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
_-_Chapel_St_Mauro_-_San_Tiziano,_vescovo_di_Oderzo.jpg){kind=link}