Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 15, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
There are times in our lives when we cannot know God’s plan for us. As I write this, I am nearing the completion of my Master of Education. This means I need to figure out what to do next. The endless possibilities can be dizzying. How do I know what God is calling me to do?
Whether it is a college search, career path, or vocational decision, we have all faced the challenge of discerning God’s call for our lives. How do we do that, and what do we do when nothing seems certain?
The key is trusting in God’s providence as outlined in today’s gospel. God will guide us to the truth, even (especially) when we are not able to discern it on our own. In fact, the times when we face the most difficult decisions are the times when we need to rely the most on God.
Sometimes it can be difficult to trust God when the path seems shrouded in uncertainty. When the future seems completely unknown, remember the famous words written by John Henry Newman, now sung as a beautiful hymn. Newman writes, “Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on,” and he later states, “I do not ask to see the distant scene; one step enough for me.” Newman knows that, although we cannot know the future God has planned for us, we can know that God will lead us there.
As we live our lives and face decisions large and small, let us remember that God will always guide us to the truth.
Prayer
Loving God, Christ promised his disciples the gift of the Spirit, who would guide them to all truth. In these often confusing and difficult times, many truths are spoken. Open us up to the gifts of your Spirit to be able to discern your truth so that we may more faithfully speak it to others and embrace it more fully in our own lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Edburga was the daughter of Saxon king Edward the Elder of England, and was born in the early tenth century, around 920 AD, before the Norman Conquest of England. In the twelfth century, a legend of her life was written down by Osbert de Clare.
According to this legend, when Edburga was only three years old, her father was trying to decide whether she would be called to live in the world or as a religious sister. On one side of the table, he placed rings and bracelets, and on the other, a chalice and a book of the Gospels. When Edburga was brought in to the room, she reached for the chalice and the book.
Edburga was given over to the monastery that her mother sponsored, St. Mary's Abbey in Winchester. Edburga received her education there and stayed to profess vows.
In the monastery, Edburga did not seek special treatment on account of her noble lineage, although that was common practice at the time. Instead, she delighted in cleaning the shoes of the other wealthy nuns. Some tales say she washed their stockings for them while everyone else slept. Her humility led her to occasionally receive unjust punishments, but she accepted them gladly.
St. Edburga died on June 15, between the years 950 and 960. Veneration of this good and holy prioress began almost instantly after her death, and she was canonized in 972.
St. Edburga of Winchester, who chose religious life over the royal court—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Edburga of Winchester is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on British Royal Family Wiki.