Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
July 20, 2026
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
From menu anxiety to college decisions, from choosing a prom date to discerning who to date, from debating between sleep and homework to seeking a new job, I hate decisions—and I love when they are facilitated by what appears to be a sign from God.
Today, then, Jesus’ words seem discouraging: “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign.” Jesus explains that sometimes, the only sign we will receive is “the sign of Jonah the prophet,” the pain that results from falling short of God’s will. Jonah fled from God on a ship when sent as a prophet to Nineveh, and he was subsequently cast from the ship and swallowed by a whale.
We know the feeling of everything spiralling once we’ve made a mistake. Maybe we’ve gossiped about another person, and they’ve now heard about it. Maybe we were lazy all day and now have to stay up late finishing a work project. Sometimes, like Jonah, we only align our wills with God’s when we first attempt the opposite and face the consequences.
However, today’s gospel does not leave us mired in our failings. Christ says, “There is something greater than Jonah here.” We indeed have the sign of Jonah, the experience of pain that results from our sins. Yet Jesus has also offered us the sign of the cross. The cross teaches us that our sufferings, even those that result from our own sinfulness, can be redeemed through Christ.
After his hardships, Jonah finally obeyed God and thus saved Nineveh from destruction. Our sufferings too can make us better servants of the Lord. Thus, when we face decisions and it feels that “signs” from God are lacking, we need not be afraid: whether the choice results in prosperity or suffering, both can bring us closer to Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, your life, preaching, death, and resurrection are signs of your love and care for us. When our faith is tested and we seek some other sign, give us the strength to continue to trust in you. Lead us, by your preaching and wisdom, to ever deeper faith, so that we can follow you to the new life that you promise in the kingdom of heaven. We ask this in your most holy name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Apollinaris lived in the second century and faithfully led the young Church in Ravenna, Italy, as its first bishop. He is honored as a martyr.
For a long time, he was known as a follower of St. Peter, who made him bishop, but this claim and the legend of his life are likely inventions of a later age. The legend holds that he and the Church in Ravenna faced persecution—that he was forced to flee several times and was stabbed, stoned, hacked with knives, and covered in scalding water, among other tortures.
We know that Christian inscriptions dating to the second century have been found in Ravenna, so it can be inferred that the faith was present there at an early date. We also know that the Church of the first centuries held St. Apollinaris in very high esteem—he was famous among early martyrs and was remembered for his intercession in prayer.
Some early records name him as a martyr, while others state that he led the Church for a long time and did not die from persecution. Some early saints were remembered as martyrs if they suffered greatly for the faith, even if they were not killed for it.
St. Apollinaris, famous in the early Church for your faithfulness, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Apollinaris is in the public domain. Last accessed March 20, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
