Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 1, 2024
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
Reflection
I can relate to Jesus’ remarks today: “[I] have nowhere to rest [my] head,” but maybe not in the precise way Jesus imaged. I, like many, am prone to filling up my calendar and life with every activity, task, and responsibility. With our busyness and responsibilities, there’s always more to be done.
When my husband, Will, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma in November 2022, I truly felt that there was no place in which I could find rest. At times, that was because we were busy – doctor’s appointments, scans, treatment plans, and Google searches for answers. But a lot of the time, it wasn’t because we had stuff to do. The internal unrest that unraveled forcefully within me shook me to my core: how could I possibly handle this? There was “nowhere to rest my head.” Trying to sleep or relax, even pray, made my feelings of panic, despair, and sadness even more difficult to bear.
It’s remarkable that as people of faith, God finds ways to remind us that God’s there amidst the toughness of life. My marriage is the most profound example of this in my life: something can and something will endure beyond the joys and pains of today. As my husband and I faced the reality of life and death up close, I witnessed my husband find a sense of peace in the journey ahead, placing Jesus at the very center of it and finding rest in the most restless and harrowing time in his life.
We are so blessed that Will is now over a year in remission; I know that is not everyone’s story. And being without disease doesn’t mean that every day is now wonderful or that every day then was so bad. The greatest message that remains with me is not that every story should end in a miraculous healing. It’s to work hard every single day to trust in God, no matter what that day holds. To find that deep, real rest that we all yearn for in the arms of Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, would I feel a deep sense of loss if you were not part of my life? Let this question filter through our thoughts and actions this day. Help us to follow you more faithfully, the Lord of life. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Saint Junipero Serra was canonized by Pope Francis in a Mass in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23, 2015—the first canonization to take place on American soil. He is patron saint of vocations to Church ministry, and he played an instrumental role in building the Church on the West Coast of America when that area was still a mission territory.
Though some controversy has arisen around the saint because of the connection between his missionary activity and the Spanish colonization of Mexico and California, the many investigations into his life show a saintly man who was absolutely dedicated to the indigenous people he served.
Miguel Jose Serra was born in 1713 on the Spanish island of Majorca. When he entered the Franciscan order at the age of 17, he took the name Junipero, which was associated with St. Francis and one of his first followers.
He was an outstanding student and rose quickly in his class. After being ordained to the priesthood, he earned a doctorate in theology and taught philosophy for 12 years.
At the age of 37, he traveled to the New World to teach at a university in Mexico City. He was bitten by a snake during this journey, and suffered from a swollen leg for the rest of his life, though it did not stop him from making other trips by foot.
After teaching in Mexico City for some time, he asked to be stationed at a mission 90 miles away that reached native American Indians in the area. He spent nine years there and learned the native language, even translating a catechism. He returned to Mexico City, where he became an effective preacher, encouraging people to turn from sin. He often practiced acts of self-mortification to emphasize his desire for repentance.
At the age of 55, he was given responsibility for a number of missions in what is now the Baja peninsula and California. He worked tirelessly, converting thousands and building 21 new missions. Frequently an advocate for the indigenous people he served, he implored the Spanish authorities to adopt policies that would recognize the dignity of all, even walking over 2,000 miles to Mexico near the end of his life to champion this cause.
Junipero helped bring to California many staples of its current agriculture industry: oranges, lemons, olives, figs, grapes, and vegetables, as well as cattle, sheep, goats, and horses. This statue of Saint Junipero represents the State of California in the National Hall in the U.S. Capitol building.
Saint Junipero was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1988. His feast day is celebrated on August 28 everywhere else besides the United States, where it is honored on July 1.
Saint Junipero Serra, patron saint of vocations to Church ministry and builder of the Church on the West Coast—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Junipero Serra is available for use under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
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