Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
July 9, 2026
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words–
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town.”
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.
I have a friend who is quite intellectual and academic. It is stimulating to engage him in conversation. He is retired, but he maintains a part-time job as a minister in another church. He’s a Christian; he accepts the fact that Jesus is God. However, he recently conjectured that Christianity made a mistake over the centuries when it focused on Jesus as being a divine object of worship rather than as a human with human frailties. His contention is that Jesus, as God, is on so high a pedestal that ordinary people cannot possibly live up to the expectation that we can “be like Jesus.”
Well, the gospel passage for today certainly lets us know what a standard it is that Jesus sets. When he sends his apostles out on a most worthy mission into the world, he tells them to take no money, no sack, no second tunic, no extra pair of sandals, not even a walking stick; but rather to live on the generosity of good people they meet on the way.
Could I do that? Go on a mission in a foreign land without first checking my health insurance? Making sure I have my cell phone? Bringing along some emergency provisions? A little extra cash? Give up absolutely everything, with complete faith that Jesus will get me through? Am I worthy to be an apostle? In all honesty, I think not.
I want to be like Jesus, but I have my failings. Still, what’s the harm in reaching for it? Jesus is the one who gives me grace to be better than I am now. It is difficult to live up to the challenges he gives me, but it is in these moments that I realize I want Jesus to be on a pedestal. If I do my very best, I know Jesus, the highest guide, will always pick me up when I fall.
Prayer
Loving God, You call us your beloved sons and daughters by name. May we not be afraid or lack trust in letting Jesus heal what is broken in our mind, body, or spirit. May Jesus lead us outside of ourselves to the immigrants, refugees, poor, imprisoned, and homeless, seeing his compassion is for all of us. We ask this through Jesus, the Shepherd and our Brother. 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, opposing 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, 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 was 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