Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
June 18, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.’
“If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
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.
If our Father already knows what we need and the Holy Spirit is guiding us, of what use is prayer to us—even a prayer tailor-made for us by Jesus? The question is also the answer.
Jesus and the Father know of our weakness, our confusion, and, perhaps most of all, our inclination toward becoming complacent about the areas where we always need to seek to improve ourselves: those places where we become “comfortable with our sin.”
Likewise, the coin has another side, that grows weary of trying, as we repeatedly fall short and experience others letting us down. It is worthy of memory that Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium exhorted: “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.” Jesus also here reminds us that prayer is how we bring ourselves to will ourselves into the presence of God.
Most importantly, embedded in this concise yet complete prayer, free of babble (a trait of pagans and Christians alike), as is given to us elsewhere, is the means to overcome these obstacles: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Mt 22:36- 40) The Prayer is restating the two highest Commandments: Love the Lord your God and love (and equally forgive) your neighbor.
Everyone is someone who will trespass against us. In prayer, we must forgive and love them, and we will experience God’s love and forgiveness in the same manner. Jesus has given us a simple, beautiful gift from the Father in heaven—one that is ours to use daily that we may love the Lord heart, soul, and mind. It is not the only prayer, but it is how we are to pray. Simple and clear: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, you are infinitely forgiving and merciful. Help us to live lives of forgiveness that your name may be hallowed throughout all the earth. Grant this through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Gregory Barbarigo had all the skills for a successful life in politics, but instead dedicated himself to serving the Church.
He was born in 1625, the son of a senator from Venice, Italy. He was a brilliant student, well-educated, and took on the life of a diplomat with his well-connected family. He accompanied the Venetian ambassador to several important negotiations and traveled extensively.
After five years with the ambassador, he returned to Italy to continue his studies and to enter the world of politics. He soon became disillusioned by the political world, however, and sought advice from a cardinal he had met in his travels. Gregory was thinking of becoming a hermit, but the cardinal advised him to pursue his doctorate in law, then become a priest.
Ten years later, Gregory had earned a doctorate in both civil and canon law and was ordained a priest. His skills were valuable to the Church and he soon was named a bishop, and then cardinal.
He was given responsibility for the diocese in Padua, Italy, and he led the Church there with wisdom. He reorganized and enlarged seminaries in his region, adding a library and a printing press, and worked hard to carry out the reforms that the Church was encouraging at the time.
St. Gregory died on this date in 1697. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Gregory Barbarigo, you were a strong leader who gave up your life in politics to serve the Church—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Gregory Barbarigo is in the public domain. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
