Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 2, 2026
This is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,
“I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
How do we define ourselves? All of us both inherit and choose a set of groups and identities to which we belong, some more and some less central to who we really are. For example, here at Notre Dame, we have a script: name, class, dorm, hometown, and major—the “Notre Dame Introduction.” It captures our basic identity, our roots, and our current communities of residence and interest.
But when John the Baptist is asked, “Who are you?” he doesn’t play that game. No résumé, no hometown, no tribe. Just a simple denial: “I am not the Messiah.” They press him further: “Are you Elijah? Are you the Prophet?” He keeps subtracting—No! No! No!
There is a liberation in these denials. The spiritual life acknowledges first what we are not. It calls us to a process of purgation, of shedding layers of selfishness and false identity. A process of learning that no matter how much we might wish to control our own lives, it is actually a good thing that we are not Christ. That we are not finally consigned to our brokenness, but that we who are not Christ can be identified with Christ and redeemed by him.
This is good news. It tells us not that our standard sets of identities are bad, but that our dignity and our destiny are not defined by them. Instead, they are defined by Christ. We do not need to dispense with the Notre Dame introduction—we need to understand that it is not because of those things that God loves us. The Father loves us because in us he sees Jesus, and in Jesus he sees us.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, like John, we confess that we are not the Christ. Yet we long to be voices preparing your way—in our families, in the classrooms and chapels entrusted to us, in the heritage of faith that runs from our ancestors into Holy Cross today. Teach us humility, honesty, and courage to point beyond ourselves, to you, who stand among us, often unnoticed, yet always ready to bring light and life. May our lives testify to your presence. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Sts. Basil and Gregory were childhood friends who both came from saintly families. They grew up to defend the Trinity and Jesus’ divinity at a crucial time in the development of the Church’s understanding of these mysteries.
Basil was born in 330 as one of 10 children to a noble family in what is now Turkey. Both of his parents were saints (St. Basil the Elder and St. Emmelia) and four of his siblings became saints as well. Even his grandmother was a saint!
As a young man, Basil was known for organizing food relief for those suffering from famine, and would even set aside his rank to work in the kitchen. He was well-educated, and he opened a school and practiced as a lawyer. He became famous for his rhetorical skills but was tempted by pride because of the attention his orations drew. He responded by selling all he owned to become a priest and monk.
He founded a monastery and wrote down instructions on community life, which have become famous and especially important in guiding religious communities in the east. He continued to found monasteries and was ordained bishop of Caesarea (in modern Israel) in 370, where he led for seven years until his death. He was very active in his leadership and was known for his eloquence, wisdom, and sincere love of others.
From his youth, Basil was friends with Gregory of Nazianzus, another brilliant thinker and orator. Gregory also had saintly parents (St. Gregory the Elder and St. Nonna), and two of his siblings also became saints.
Gregory followed a similar career path as Basil—he was ordained a priest, even though he yearned for the life of a monk. He was ordained a bishop by his friend, Basil, and made important contributions in the way the Church understands God, especially the mystery of the Trinity.
Basil and Gregory were defining figures as the early Church sought to figure out just how to describe Jesus as fully human and fully divine. They helped the Church articulate this mystery and refute persistent strains of thought that would emphasize one aspect of Jesus’ nature over another. Both were largely responsible for safeguarding the faith that has guided the Church for hundreds of years. Their doctrinal contributions are codified in the Nicene Creed we recite at Mass.
Both Basil and Gregory were declared doctors of the Church, a title given to 38 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. Their relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and their images are captured in stained glass windows there.
Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, friends and scholars who defended the faith—pray for us!