Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 6, 2025
When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them.
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal in Montreal, Canada is a marvel. The Oratory is the highest building in Montreal, is the largest shrine to Saint Joseph in the world, and can hold a congregation of more than 10,000. This monumental place of prayer is a testimony to the life of Saint André Bessette, a Holy Cross Brother whose feast day we celebrate today.
The significance of the Oratory, which attracts over 2 million visitors and pilgrims each year, goes beyond its size. Under the grand basilica and carved out of the rock of the mountain is a votive chapel hallway that leads to a hidden alcove that holds the final resting place of this saintly brother.
On these walls are hung thousands of canes and crutches, items left behind by their owners because of a miraculous encounter with Brother André. Some have suggested that other than Jesus Christ himself, Brother André was the greatest healer ever to walk this earth. It is easy to believe this statement to be true when standing in the votive chapel. The Miracle Man of Montreal, as some called him, would never claim to have healing powers. Rather, it was through the intercession of Saint Joseph that God would heal.
I have walked and prayed in this hallway for countless hours and have taken students, family members, colleagues, and my own sons on pilgrimage with me to this special place. A trip to the votive chapel, just as a careful reading of today’s gospel, ought to astonish and humble each of us with the power and goodness of our God. He is a healer who chooses light over darkness, healing over suffering, and life over death, and so, like the crowds that Jesus encountered in Galilee, Jerusalem, and Judea and beyond the Jordan, may we all respond with faith and courage and follow him.
Prayer
Saint André Bessette, you knew what it was like to be rejected. Your own religious family of Holy Cross did not accept you at first. You yourself said, “When I first arrived to the college, I was shown the door … and I remained there for forty years!” Yet even more painfully, when the Lord chose you to be his healing hand in others’ lives, you incurred the misunderstanding and rejection of those who failed to see God’s greatness through you. Intercede for us, Saint André, so that we may have the same strength in the face of ridicule. May we remain steadfast to the mission God has entrusted to us to bring God glory. 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 statue of Br. André pictured above 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 image of the statue and relic of St. André is from the chapel in Columba Hall, the residence for Holy Cross brothers on campus. The portrait of Br. André, below, 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.