Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 9, 2025
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples
and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out
and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the Twelve Apostles are these:
first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew;
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot
who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Proclaim it! This was the task. Jesus gave the Twelve authority, power, and very specific instructions. Jesus had many disciples, but he called the Twelve by name into a special group, his apostles. Why? They were willing and obedient.
They just spent the previous months with Jesus learning. Did they feel ready? Jesus said to start with the lost sheep. These were the unbelieving sons of Israel, likely their friends and family, and certainly those with whom they could identify. Specifically, Jesus said not to go to the Samaritans or pagans. Were they not yet ready for cross-cultural discipleship? We know many Samaritans and pagans who eventually became believers. Perhaps Jesus was ordering their steps until they were prepared for more.
Jesus gave these very ordinary and unlikely men an incredible task. They were willing and obedient. We know they succeeded because we read their witness today. And so Jesus calls us by name, too.
Does this mean we all pick up and travel to reach people at every corner of the earth? Or do we start with what we know, as Jesus instructed the apostles? Let us start with our children, our family, and our community circles. Let us show God’s love, share his message, serve, and pray right where we live. Christ will let us know when we need to do more.
Prayer
Lord God, every time we read the names of the Twelve disciples, we wonder what it will be like to meet them all some day in heaven. Though we know a little about some of them—Peter denied you three times, Matthew was a tax collector, Judas betrayed you, they were fishermen—we don’t really know them. Some day we will know them. Help us not to be afraid of the truth that each day we are one day closer to our heavenly homeland. And send us out, Lord, to witness to the Kingdom, to preach the Kingdom. May our words and actions be a sign to all the world that your Kingdom is here among us and yet to come. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In the 19th century, China opened its doors to world trade, and missionaries traveled there to evangelize the nation. By the end of the century, as China’s economy wavered, attitudes towards foreigners had begun to change. A nationalist movement took shape that opposed foreign imperialism and Christianity.
A secret society was formed to drive the Europeans away—they called themselves the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. In 1900, these “Boxers” led attacks on embassies and diplomats, merchants and missionaries. Any Chinese who had converted to Christianity was also killed—a total of some 30,000 Christians were massacred.
In many cases, these martyrs were given a chance to renounce their faith and were killed by strangulation when they refused.
The Catholic Church honors 120 Catholics who died between 1648 and 1930 as the “Martyr Saints of China”—86 of these died during the Boxer Rebellion.
Among them were Augustine Tchao, who was a Chinese soldier who escorted a bishop to Beijing during his missionary work. The bishop, St. Gabriel-Taurin Dufresse, had such a powerful personal witness that Augustine was moved to consider the faith. He was among those who were converted by Gabriel, and went on to become ordained a priest. He was arrested during a persecution in 1815, and was tortured and killed.
Of the 120 Martyr Saints, 87 were Chinese lay people and 33 were missionaries. These saints were canonized by St. Pope John Paul II in 2000, and are sometimes referred to as Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions.
Martyr Saints of China, you remained true to your faith even under torture, and died for what you believed—pray for us!
Image Credit: Courtesy of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery
