Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 2, 2025
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
“If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
And he said to them, “Go then!”
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
I have to admit to being a bit disappointed that I wasn’t assigned to reflect upon one of the happier miracle stories we read about earlier in chapter eight, like the healing of the leper, the centurion’s servant, or Peter’s mother-in-law. Instead, I find myself grappling with words like savage, swine, and demoniacs. And then, to top it all off, instead of embracing and celebrating Jesus at the end of chapter eight, I’m left witnessing the crowd begging him to leave. But perhaps the Holy Spirit knows better than I.
This spring, I watched as our community literally burned to the ground in the Eaton Fire. Eighteen lives perished. Six thousand houses reduced to ashes. An entire suburb of Los Angeles was obliterated. As I recently drove past the gnarled remnants in our own neighborhood, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the destruction before me.
There is no peace to be found in striving to understand the why of that awful night. In fact, it is easier to simply turn away from the pain, to avoid driving past the savage remains, to beg that the collective experience of our community would just disappear.
And yet, Jesus remains. He stays in the moments we can’t possibly understand. He stays in the mess of the emotional healing and the physical clean-up. He stays in the despairing hearts and the ugly memories, and the misdirected anger of all we can’t comprehend.
There are most certainly times in our lives when we might beg for this chapter of our lives to be complete, but Jesus is not finished with us yet. He invites us to keep reading the story of our lives, tenderly written by our Father.
While we long for miracles to be awe-inspiring, comforting, and beautiful, the truth is that they are happening right in the midst of our often chaotic, confusing, and cluttered days. May we meet Jesus right here, right now, and let him heal our hearts in ways that are truly incomprehensible.
Prayer
God, source of life, help us to live in your peace. May we be your healing presence for those who are suffering, your welcoming presence to those who are strangers. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Pierre of Luxembourg was born in 1369 to a noble French family. Before he had turned five, Pierre had lost both of his parents. Consequently, his aunt, a wealthy countess, raised him in Paris.
Pierre was the second eldest child of a family of six, and he felt a deep sense of responsibility for his siblings. In 1381, Pierre turned himself into the English in exchange for the freedom of his brother, who was being held hostage. The British court was astonished by the self-giving love of this brother. King Richard II offered Pierre a place of honor in his court. But Pierre refused, as he was studying to become a priest.
Pierre became a canon for two of the most important churches in France. In 1384, he was elected a canon of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, and then, two years later, he was appointed a canon for Notre Dame de Chartres. These responsibilities prepared him for his next ecclesial role as bishop.
Pierre lived in France during the turbulent years of the Western Schism, during which France supported the antipope. Pierre was appointed the Bishop of Metz by the Antipope Clement VII. Reportedly, Pierre rode into his new see on a mule, barefoot, a sign of great humility and poverty. The townspeople of Metz loved their humble, holy bishop greatly.
Pierre attempted multiple times to resolve the Western Schism, as he was a bishop who had great influence over Antipope Clement. He was invited to join the antipapal court at Avignon, where he died in 1387, of illness, many say was a result of the severe penances he placed upon himself.
As in his life, the Western Schism interrupted Pierre's story after his death. His beatification process was begun and aborted many times. Until, finally, well after the resolution of the Western Schism, Pope Clement VII beatified Pierre in 1527.
Blessed Pierre of Luxembourg, beloved Bishop of Metz—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Pierre of Luxembourg is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
