Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 2, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
A few years ago, I was robbed on a train platform near my apartment. In just a single second, I lost my confidence and sense of security as a single young woman living in the heart of a city. For the few days following, I was terrified to go anywhere alone. I couldn’t take the train to work. I power-walked to and from church, which was only a few blocks from my apartment. I feared for my life every time I walked from place to place.
In my prayer, I often found myself getting angry with God, constantly asking, “Where were you?!” When I shared this with a priest, he suggested that I revisit that day in my mind, but this time, walk to the train platform hand-in-hand with Jesus. The priest advised, “See what happens when you get there. Let that be your prayer.” I did just that. In my prayer, I found that I never let go of Jesus’ hand, nor did he let go of mine, even in the thick of the attack.
I cannot imagine what was going through the apostles’ minds when Jesus ascended before them. Here was their Savior, the one who had healed and worked miracles, had died an excruciating death, and yet, somehow, had risen from the grave. Here was their Savior, for whom they had given up everything, and who was now commissioning them to go out and spread the good news, because he was leaving. I can only imagine the abandonment, anxiety, and uncertainty they must have felt in that single second. However, Jesus promised that he would be with them—always!
May we, too, never forget that Jesus is always with us in all life’s trials, especially when we feel completely alone.
Prayer
God of wisdom and truth, you reveal to people of faith your oneness amid the diversity and uniqueness in the world around us. Make yourself known to us and to all people, as the one God, living and true. Affirm your truth in our lives that we may be witnesses of your unchanging presence. May your declared truth in the life and teachings of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, be our salvation and guide. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Sts. Peter and Marcellinus were both martyrs from the early Church who are still honored today in the Eucharistic prayer that we offer at Mass.
Marcellinus was a well-known priest, and Peter was an exorcist. They lived during the persecution of Christians under the Roman emperor Diocletian at the start of the fourth century, and thus were arrested and jailed for being Christians.
In prison, they continued to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, which converted some of the prisoners, and even their guard (along with his wife and daughter). They were condemned to death by beheading, and were killed and buried in an unmarked place in the forest so that the Christian community could not honor their remains. Their executioner, who later became a Christian himself, told of their location, however, and their bodies were found and placed in the catacombs.
Pope St. Damasus heard the story of their death from this executioner and created an inscription for their tombs. Later, Constantine built a basilica over their remains, where his mother, St. Helen, was buried. These two saints are honored in the Eucharistic prayer, and there is strong evidence that they were very important Saints for the early Christian Church.
The bodies of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter were moved at several points through the ages and ended up in a monastery in Germany. Relics of the martyr, St. Peter, also rest in the Basilica in the reliquary chapel.
Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, your imprisonment and death sentence did not dampen your zeal—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter is in the public domain. Modified from the original. Last accessed March 18, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
