Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 21, 2025
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
What are our intentions for our time spent in prayer? I know all too well that I often attend Mass and allow myself to become distracted with everything I’ve got to accomplish that upcoming week. And as a loyal subscriber and reader of the FaithND Daily Gospel Reflection, I, too find myself some mornings closing this email without allowing the words to register in my heart.
I’m a 90s kid, and one of the songs of the decade was from Los Angeles’ very own New Radicals in their one-hit wonder “You Only Get What You Give,” and that’s exactly what Jesus is telling the Pharisees—and us—in today’s Gospel passage from St. Mark. God made the Sabbath for us, but you’re only going to get out of it what you’re willing to put into it.
I’ve started a series on Instagram and TikTok called “NYC Catholic Church Tours,” where I’ve made it my mission to visit as many churches as possible and tell stories about a notable event or parishioner from that given church. After producing over 100 videos from churches not just in NYC, but all across the nation, I’ve met countless priests and parishioners who use their beautiful, sacred spaces not just as buildings for people to check off a box from their Sunday routines.
They’re using these spaces as gateways for parishioners to become women and men for others, not just inside their walls but, more importantly, outside in their communities. Food drives, legal aid, crisis counseling, book clubs, AA meetings, childcare, and the list goes on—each a witness that the parish is made to serve the women and men of their communities.
May we all be intentional with our time in prayer, whether inside a church, reading FaithND, or even on social media, and use it to become more Christlike, serving those around us.
Prayer
Lord God, how marvelous are your deeds, holy and awesome is your name. You are Lord and master of all things, of even the Sabbath. May we always strive to keep holy the Lord’s Day and live every day as the gift it is from you. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Agnes is one of the most famous early Christian martyrs and is mentioned in one of the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass. She is a patron saint of those seeking chastity and purity because of the legend around her martyrdom.
The story is told that Agnes was a stunningly beautiful girl of thirteen who lived in Rome when Emperor Diocletian began violently persecuting Christians in 303. Young nobles asked for her hand, but she declared herself the bride of Christ. Rebuffed, the young men formally accused her of being a Christian, and she was arrested and brought to trial.
The judge first began to entice her to deny her faith; she flatly refused. He soon turned to threats, and when they had no effect, he had instruments of torture brought forth. Agnes only grew in joy.
The judge knew she valued her purity above all, and threatened to expose her in a house of prostitution, that anyone in the city could come to defile her. “You may stain your sword with my blood,” she said, “but you will never be able to profane my body, which is consecrated to Christ.” The men who approached her in the brothel were awed by her holiness and left her alone.
Her suitors were by now enraged at her stubbornness, and they enticed the judge to order her beheaded. It is said that she went to the place of her execution as joyfully as if she were headed to her wedding.
This legend cannot be proven true, and is likely full of elaboration. Based on archeological evidence, however, it is true that a young girl of thirteen, a virgin named Agnes, was martyred in Rome and honored for her sacrifice. A church was built over her tomb, and her relics venerated.
Agnes is often represented with a lamb because the Latin word for lamb, agnus, resembles her name. Additionally, some traditions say that she was killed by being stabbed in the throat—similar to how lambs are slaughtered.
On this date every year, two white lambs are blessed in the church in Rome that is dedicated to her. The lambs are cared for until it is time for their shearing, and their wool is woven into pallia, small round collars. The pallia are laid upon the altar above the tomb of St. Peter and then sent to new archbishops around the world as a symbol of their authority and union with the pope.
St. Agnes is represented in today's featured image of the mural from the walls of the Basilica.
St. Agnes, the courageous young girl who placed faithfulness over death—pray for us!