Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 6, 2021
After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
Reflection
Today is the traditional date of the feast of the Epiphany when we celebrate the divine manifestation of Jesus Christ as he is looked upon by the Magi. The end of the Christmas season reminds us that the crowning work of the Creator took the shape of a mere human, a baby. Only a humble and vulnerable God would descend upon a manger to a peasant girl and the village carpenter.
Today also marks the feast day of another carpenter’s son, André Bessette, canonized in 2010 and the first saint of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Orphaned at a young age, uneducated and chronically ill, Alfred Bessette entered the Holy Cross Novitiate, took the name André, and was promptly assigned the role of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal. He remained there for 40 years welcoming visitors, washing floors and cleaning laundry, among other tasks. André also prayed with visitors suffering from physical ailments, and those who experienced healing claimed that he had miraculous powers. André, however, attributed the recoveries to the intercession of St. Joseph, to whom he had a lifelong devotion.
A simple figure, faithful in his devotions and humbly carrying forth his daily tasks, Saint André Bessette serves as a model for us as we conclude the Christmas season and enter into Ordinary Time. May we pay homage to the Christ child today in welcoming a stranger or visiting the sick, and as we move forward, may the Holy Spirit inspire us to craft our lives in little acts of service to one another.
Prayer
God of all strength and consolation, you always hear those who cry out to you in their need. Though the world’s evils are many, never let your faithful people be overcome. Heal us with the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation. Let your face shine upon us and we shall be saved. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. André Bessette is the first saint from the Congregation of Holy Cross, the religious community that founded the University of Notre Dame. In the United States, his feast day falls on the date of his death, January 6, but in the Congregation of Holy Cross and in Canada, his memorial is perpetually transferred to January 7.
Alfred Bessette was born in the town of Mont-Saint-Grégoire in Quebec on August 9, 1845, and he was orphaned by the time he was 12. He had to work to support himself and had little formal education, but from an early age, he had a lively faith and a strong devotion to St. Joseph. After a few years trying to find work in the United States, he returned to Quebec, where his childhood pastor encouraged him to consider a vocation to religious life. He sent Alfred to the Holy Cross Brothers with a note that said, “I am sending you a saint.”
Upon entering Holy Cross, Alfred took the name André and was assigned as doorkeeper of Notre Dame College in Montreal. Among his many duties, he greeted visitors and tended to their needs. Eventually, many people began to experience physical healings after praying with Brother André.
His reputation began to spread. So many people flocked to see him that the Congregation allowed him to see sick people at a trolley station across the street. The crowds got larger, more cures were reported, and Brother André became increasingly well-known. Through it all Brother André remained humble, often seeming confused that people would lavish such praise on him. He knew that the real source of these miraculous cures was St. Joseph’s intercession.
His desire to increase devotion to St. Joseph inspired him to found a shrine to his favorite saint across the street from Notre Dame College. He saved the money he earned from giving haircuts at five cents apiece, eventually earning the $200 he needed to construct a simple structure. This shrine opened in 1904, and in 1909 Brother André was released from his duties as doorkeeper and assigned full-time as the caretaker of the Oratory of St. Joseph.
The Oratory attracted large numbers of pilgrims, and plans were made to construct a large basilica. Brother André’s full-time ministry for the rest of his life was to receive the long lines of sick visitors who flocked to the Oratory to see him. He became known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal”, and thousands of miraculous healings were attributed to his intercession over the following decades.
Brother André died on January 6, 1937, at the age of 91. During the week that his body lay in state outside of St. Joseph’s Oratory, it is estimated that one million people braved the bitter Montreal winter to pay their respects. The basilica was eventually completed and remains a major pilgrimage site, attracting more than two million visitors a year. The side chapels are filled with the crutches of people healed through St. André’s prayers.
The reliquary chapel on campus contains relics of Br. André, and he is depicted in statuary and stained glass in many parts of campus. Our featured stained glass image is in the chapel in the Stinson-Remick Building. The first statue of St. André is from the chapel in Columba Hall, the residence for Holy Cross brothers on campus. The second statue adorns the front of the Eck Visitor's Center, the home of the Notre Dame Alumni Association and FaithND. His presence there reminds us that we carry out his ministry of service and hospitality to the Notre Dame family and the world. The image of the statue is from 2010, when it was adorned with wreath and garland on the occasion of his canonization. The portrait of Br. André is the work of Holy Cross priest, Ron Raab, '78, '82 M.Div.
St. André Bessette, C.S.C., who was devoted to St. Joseph and who welcomed the sick with the hospitality of Christ—pray for us!
To learn even more about Saint André Bessette, C.S.C., watch this video lecture from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. To view, personalize, and share a digital card with a prayer to St. Andrè, click here.