Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 20, 2022
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Life can feel crushing, especially when we cannot see God’s providence at work. But a world without hope in God is a world without a future. That is why the entrance of Dante’s hell declares: “Leave behind all hope, you who enter here.”
Even in the darkest of times, hopelessness is not an option for Christians. Following Christ, we shoulder our crosses and await the dawn.
Today is the Memorial of the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Blessed Basil Moreau—a man of hope. Fr. Moreau endured the crosses of financial instability, public humiliation, betrayal, and watching those he sent as missionaries die of illness. These trials almost destroyed him, but like Christ, Moreau trusted in God.
In today’s gospel, Jesus’ reputation was growing and so were the crowds. In desperation or curiosity, they flocked to him with their prayers, needs, and questions. Jesus is surrounded by need but is not overwhelmed. He hopes in the future, sending his disciple ahead to fetch a boat.
Jesus is hope personified, rooted in the trust of his Father. This trust in God’s providence is clearest in his darkest moment on the cross. He abandons himself to the Father, who raises him from the dead. His cross becomes our hope; he always points to it.
By the examples of Our Lady of Sorrows and Blessed Basil Moreau, we are encouraged to embrace our crosses and the resurrection they promise. For if “we shirk the cross, gone too will be our hope.” (Constitution 8:21 The Cross, Our Hope) But if we hold on to hope, we will see God’s providence and the power of Jesus’ resurrection at work in our world and our lives.
Prayer
Lord, in you we trust, and you will not allow this trust to be in vain. You rescue us from stumbling so that here on earth we will walk in the light of your hope and in the strength of your grace. May we always through faith hear your voice and be ready to do your will. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Basil Moreau founded the Congregation of Holy Cross—the order of priests and brothers that founded the University of Notre Dame.
Basil Anthony Marie Moreau was born near Le Mans, France, in 1799, and would be forever affected by the spiritual upheaval caused by the French Revolution. Church property was seized, priests were executed and arrested, and religious communities were expelled from France. Basil Moreau's hope was to fill this vast spiritual and educational gap.
In 1821, Moreau was ordained a priest for the diocese, later becoming a seminary professor teaching philosophy and theology, while enthusiastically continuing his pastoral duties.
By 1835, Moreau had organized a group of young and energetic “auxiliary priests” whose mission was to travel the diocese, assisting in educational and spiritual growth programs at parishes. That same year, the bishop asked him to oversee the Brothers of St. Joseph, a community of educators. Two years later Fr. Moreau merged the priests and brothers into one association, which took its name from the small French town outside of Le Mans where it was based, Sainte-Croix. The new order's name became Congregatio a Sancta Cruce (hence the initials that follow the name of every Holy Cross religious—C.S.C.), which literally means "Congregation of Holy Cross."
The cross soon became an integral part of this community’s spirituality. The motto of the congregation is Ave Crux, Spes Unica, which means "Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope"—calling on the community to "learn how even the Cross can be borne as a gift."
Blessed Moreau’s vision was to give this association “one heart, one soul” by modeling it after the Holy Family and bringing into it a group of sisters who would also be involved in education and evangelization.
Reflecting his congregation’s zeal to make God known, loved and served, Moreau started sending members to other countries, including Algeria, Canada, Bangladesh, and the United States. He sent seven young men—six brothers and Father Edward Sorin—to the United States, where, in 1842, they founded the University of Notre Dame.
Moreau later resigned as Superior General mid crises and controversies and disagreements with Fr. Sorin. Moreau lived his last days estranged from his community, and Fr. Sorin was the second man elected to succeed Moreau as superior general. Moreau died in Le Mans on January 20, 1873.
On September 15, 2007, Fr. Moreau was beatified in Le Mans, France, the city where he lived and died, the home of the Congregation’s Mother Church and the sacred place where he is buried.
Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross who sought to make God known, loved, and served—pray for us!