Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 7, 2025
While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward,
knelt down before him, and said,
“”My daughter has just died.
But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.””
Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples.
A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him
and touched the tassel on his cloak.
She said to herself, “”If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.””
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said,
“”Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.””
And from that hour the woman was cured.
When Jesus arrived at the official’s house
and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion,
he said, “”Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.””
And they ridiculed him.
When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand,
and the little girl arose.
And news of this spread throughout all that land.
What do I say to the students I teach who are afraid for their future? Much has been written about the increasing anxieties and fears of our young people as they enter the adult world, and with good reason. I always recommend “The Serenity Prayer” as one starting point, a reminder to focus on what we can control and let go of what we can’t.
The woman in today’s gospel is an excellent example of this prayer. She can’t control her hemorrhages, the years of dead ends with doctors, or the throng of people pushing and shoving around Jesus, but she is not passive and helpless. She chooses to trust God above all else. This is a mature faith; it does not depend on feelings or external circumstances, but on an act of the will. It is within our control to “set our hearts on things above, and not on goods of Earth,” as Colossians 3:2 reminds us.
The more we focus on external affirmations like wealth, pleasure, power, and honor, the less content we are going to be with our lives, and the more fearful we will be about our future. Holiness is within our control, while material outcomes are not. We need the courage to step into the unknown and put our lives entirely in God’s hands, for God to do with us as God wills for the good of souls.
This is, of course, enormously difficult to actually do on a daily basis, but it is also the secret to life: in a world where we can be anything, be holy. If we fight through our fear, our distractions, and the physical barrier of the crowds to grasp onto him, Jesus promises that he will turn around and see us.
Prayer
God of compassion, we are mindful this day of the blessings you have given to us. May we be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy, and faithful to the responsibilities they demand of us. Help us to be mindful of those who cry out for your justice and mercy. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Maria Romero Meneses was a modern-day social reformer who brought about a “revolution of charity” in Costa Rica.
She was born in Nicaragua in 1902, one of eight children who grew up in an upper class family. Maria received a very good education at a school staffed by sisters in a religious community founded by St. John Bosco, who were know as the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians.
When she was 12 years old, Maria fell sick with rheumatic fever, and struggled all year to regain her health. She was completely paralyzed for six months, but was patient and prayerful in her suffering, which she saw as a gift from God. Doctors reported that her heart was damaged from the sickness, but she appealed to Our Lady, Help of Christians, and received some sort of assurance that she would be healed.
When a friend from school visited her, she said, “I know that the Blessed Virgin will cure me.” A few days later, she regained her health and returned to school, fully recovered.
A spiritual director helped her sort through and better understand the mystical experiences she was having, and she realized that she was being called to religious life. She joined the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians and closely followed the spirituality of John Bosco.
In 1931, she was sent to Costa Rica, where she taught at a school for girls from wealthy families. She also went into the poor neighborhoods to teach the faith there and to help people acquire practical skills for work. Her example moved students at the school, and many girls joined her work to improve the lives of the poor.
Maria began to understand her purpose in life—to encourage social development by helping wealthy people see how they could change the lives of poor people. She gathered resources and established recreational centers and food distribution organizations. In 1961, she opened a school for poor girls and a few years later, she opened a clinic and supported it by recruiting doctors and finding donations for medicine.
She had a vision to build a village for poor people that contained all they needed to flourish. In 1973, the first seven homes were built in a new development outside of the city named Centro San Josè—it grew to include a farm, a market, and a school where people could learn the faith and find job training. It also included a church dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians.
Maria knew that she was participating in God’s work, so she had every confidence that her efforts at social development would grow. She died of a heart attack on this date in 1977, and she is buried in the chapel in San Josè. She is the first Central American to be beatified.
Bl. Maria Romero Meneses, you brought about a revolution of charity in Costa Rica in the 1970s—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Maria Romero Meneses is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
