Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 2, 2021
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.’
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”
Reflection
It is interesting to me that family life is a central feature of today’s gospel. We have this extreme example from the Sadducees as they question Jesus, but there are situations where family life can be quite complex. I find it fitting then, that we celebrate today Venerable Patrick Peyton, C.S.C., a Notre Dame alumnus who may someday be named a saint. Not only did he come from a large family, he also dedicated much of his life advocating for family prayer.
Over the course of the past year or so, I have been in conversations with colleagues at Family Theater Productions, a media production company founded by Father Peyton in 1947. Recently, they have released a film called Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton. Like many things, it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is now available broadly via streaming, DVD, etc. Having seen the movie a few times, I have been moved by Father Peyton’s life, his vision for evangelization through mass media, and his dedication to personal and family prayer. If you have not already seen the film, I would certainly recommend doing so.
It has been one of the true blessings of my life to be involved with FaithND and its method of evangelization in a digital age. We continue to work to bring meaningful content every day of the year as well as seasonally, and we so appreciate your engagement with us, your sharing of our content with friends and family, and your support of our work.
Father Peyton famously proclaimed, “The family that prays together stays together.” Though we are separated by geography, the Notre Dame family of faith prays together daily through this email, our streamed prayer content, and each day when we take your submitted prayers to our beloved Grotto. It is my prayer that, when we meet together on that day of resurrection, Fr. Payton and all the saints will rejoice in our common mission of leading people to the God of the living.
Prayer
Almighty Father, you are the living God. May we always revere you and look to you as our help. Guide us always so that one day we come to share in the everlasting life that is yours. 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. They 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 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—it is 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.
