Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
January 19, 2025
There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,
and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short,
the mother of Jesus said to him,
“They have no wine.”
And Jesus said to her,
“Woman, how does your concern affect me?
My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers,
“Do whatever he tells you.”
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,
each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told them,
“Fill the jars with water.”
So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them,
“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”
So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,
without knowing where it came from
— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,
the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,
“Everyone serves good wine first,
and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;
but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee
and so revealed his glory,
and his disciples began to believe in him.
Today’s gospel speaks to many facets of our faith: the sacrament of matrimony, the public revelation of Jesus’ divinity, God’s concern for people, and the importance of family and celebrations. All hold special meaning for me. However, as we come out of the Christmas season, where we celebrate the birth of our infant Savior, I am reflecting on the foreshadowing of two of God’s greatest gifts: the Eucharist and the Mass.
Jesus could certainly have produced an ample supply of wine at the wedding feast without jars of water or help from anyone. However, he chose to transform water into wine and to use the wedding attendants to assist. At Jesus’ request, the servers filled the jars with water, took the transformed water (now wine) to the head waiter, and then distributed the wine to the guests. Today, our priests, during the consecration, act as Christ, transforming bread and wine at each Mass and inviting everyone to participate in the feast.
As an ND alum and parent, I love that each dormitory houses a chapel where students can attend daily Mass and share in the Eucharist. As Mary appealed to her Son when she became aware of the wedding host’s need, Notre Dame, our Mother, pointed me to daily Mass and the Eucharist during my days as a student. It is a unique opportunity for the Notre Dame family—one I was so happy my four children were offered during their time on campus. It also helped me establish a lifelong practice that continues to nourish and sustain me as I walk the path God has set for me.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, ever present at our table, grant that we may receive a share of the great love that Mary had for you and, through humble service to the poor, may we encounter you, face to holy face. We ask this through your name, as you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Henry of Sweden was an English bishop who is traditionally credited with the evangelization of Finland. Henry was the bishop of Uppsala, a city in Eastern Sweden.
According to his vita (the legend of his life), which was written nearly one hundred years after his death, Henry was born in the early twelfth century and reigned in the See of Uppsala as King Eric of Sweden ruled the country. Apparently, the episcopal leader and the monarch got along well, and Henry's biographer blissfully describes this period in Sweden as Christendom at its finest. Turning his attention eastward, King Eric, decided to do battle with the pagan Finns, who were separated from Uppsala by the Gulf of Bothnia, but apparently too close for comfort for Eric. Some legends attribute Eric's campaign against the Finns as retaliatory measures for their plundering activities in Sweden. Other sources say that Eric and Henry worked in tandem, and their motivations were largely evangelical. By conquering the Finns, the bishop and the king hoped to win them over to Christianity.
Whatever their true motivations, King Eric and Bishop Henry conquered Finland, and subsequently baptized the locals and built churches. The Catholic Cathedral in Helsinki, Finland's capital city, is named in Henry's honor, to recognize the credit that Finnish Christians give to this bishop for giving them their faith.
King Eric returned to his home in Sweden, but Henry stayed in Finland, as he loved serving as a missionary in Finland rather than ruling Uppsala like royalty. Henry was murdered by a soldier named Lalli. Lalli was a baptized Christian who had murdered another soldier. After examining the case, Henry excommunicated Lalli, who flew into a rage and struck Henry with an ax. The murder of Henry is believed to have occurred in the year 1156. Immediately after Henry's death, his legend records, many miracles began to occur around his tomb and in the surrounding towns: children were raised from the dead, a blind woman's eyesight was restored, fishermen survived terrible storms at sea.
St. Henry is an important figure in the medieval history of Finland and there are a plethora of colorful poems and legends written about his life. The following (somewhat vindictive!) verses are from a seventeenth-century ballad about his life:
Now the bishop is in joy, Lalli in evil torture.
The bishop sings with the angels, performs a joyful hymn.
Lalli is skiing down in hell.
His left ski slides along,
Into the thick smoke of torture. With his staff he strikes about him:
Demons beset him cruelty. In the swelter of hell
They assail his pitiful soul.
Today's featured image reflects the tone of these verses, as it depicts St. Henry trampling on the body of his murderer, Lalli, who holds an ax.
Devotion to St. Henry, which spread throughout Finland over subsequent centuries, is a beautiful testament to the pride that countries throughout the globe have taken in their origin stories of the brave men and women who have brought the Good News of Christ to their homeland.
St. Henry of Sweden, bishop, missionary, and martyr—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Henry of Sweden is in the public domain. Last accessed November 14, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.