Daily Gospel Reflection

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January 26, 2025

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 1:1-4 & 4:14-21
Listen to the Audio Version

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Reflection

Rob Murray ’97
ND Parent
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Luke opens his gospel writing to the Roman official Theophilus with the hope of providing him confidence in the Christian faith. He intentionally begins with a big splash, describing the excitement and buzz in the crowd as they listened “intently” to Jesus, describing many of the wondrous works accomplished during his ministry on earth.

The zeal of the crowd listening to Jesus is palpable. In encounters with the Lord, I try to channel times in my life when I have had the same excitement. Meeting my wife Kate our senior year at Notre Dame, the birth of our four children, seeing loved ones and friends after time apart, and turning on campus to see the Blessed Mother on the Dome are a few examples that elicit such emotion. It is helpful for us to find whatever harnesses similar passion when we read scripture, attend Mass, receive the sacraments, and pray.

Dr. Tom Dooley famously wrote to Father Hesburgh that “cold prayers from a hospital bed are just as pleasing to God as more youthful prayers from a Grotto on the lid of night.” We should strive to channel the same intensity of Grotto prayers into our everyday lives.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church quotes St. John Chrysostom: “Whether or not our prayer is heard depends not on the number of words, but on the fervor of our souls.”(CCC 2700). It is important to remember as we work towards being more intentional and exuberant in practicing our faith that even when we fail, as long as we strive, we are still growing our relationship by maintaining contact and keeping God’s grace in our lives.

Prayer

Rev Herb Yost, C.S.C.

Jesus, help us always to remember that you are Lord and Savior. You are the fulfillment of history’s yearning. At the close of this day, we pray that we, too, can “bring good news to the poor.” Guide us to walk with those in pain. And bring us the insight to let go of anything that keeps us captive.

Saint of the Day

Sts. Timothy and Titus

Sts. Timothy and Titus were two of St. Paul’s closest associates—he called them his “sons” in Christ—and they helped him establish and encourage new Christian communities in the early Church.

Timothy was born and raised in Galatia, which is in modern-day Turkey, and his Jewish mother embraced faith in Jesus. Timothy was raised with a firm education in Scripture, and when Paul visited his town to preach, the elders recommended Timothy to him. Paul had already dispatched his companion Barnabas on a mission and needed a helper, so he adopted the young Timothy as his assistant.

Timothy accompanied Paul in his travels and went on independent trips to offer support to communities Paul had been in touch with. He became Paul’s closest friend and most faithful follower— he was imprisoned with Paul for two years and Paul entrusted him with his most important tasks.

Paul entrusted the Christian community in Ephesus to Timothy, naming him their first bishop. The Church has preserved two of the letters Paul wrote to Timothy as part of the New Testament. Timothy was martyred around the year 97 for opposing a ritual ceremony in honor of a pagan god. The townspeople paraded around with clubs during the rite, and when Timothy confronted them, they killed him.

Titus was born a Gentile and was converted by Paul, and went on to serve as Paul’s secretary. Like Timothy, Paul sent Titus out to various Christian communities to encourage and support them. Paul eventually established Titus as bishop of Crete, which was a notoriously difficult community, and one of his letters to Titus is preserved in the New Testament. Titus spent most of his life in Crete—he died there at the age of 94.

Relics of both Timothy and Titus rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and the statue of Timothy pictured here stands above an entrance to Howard Hall on campus.

Sts. Timothy and Titus, Paul’s faithful helpers who encouraged growth in the early Church—pray for us!