Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 2, 2025
The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
Reflection
Just as Christ tells us he is not alone because the Father is with him, so we also are not alone. Christ is always with us. His accompaniment in our daily lives is the truest and deepest source of our peace.
It is useful to contemplate his words, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” We can apply these words to our own lives by realizing that it’s normal for things to turn out differently than we would have expected or wanted, even despite our hard work and many prayers.
However, what God wants more than any human success is that we grow closer to God and trust in the providential care for us and for those we love. This is especially true when we encounter the cross, as inconvenient and troubling as it seems.
When the cross appears, our natural instinct is to avoid it. But when we consider that finding the cross means finding our Lord, it gives us strength. It bolsters our courage and helps us realize that God’s grace outweighs any difficulties. And where the cross appears, there is the promise of the resurrection.
Viewed in this way, we can be grateful that God allows us to experience challenges throughout our lives. God faces these troubles with us and invites us to rely on God more fully and realize that the true resolution to the challenges God allows is in finding peace in Christ and with the Father.
Prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God, your Son, Jesus Christ, taught us not to be afraid of pain and suffering. As we face this world’s uncertainties and challenges, send your Spirit to sustain, nourish, and fortify us for wherever life takes us. Help us to remain faithful in good times and bad until we see you again and rejoice in your presence forever. Grant 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.
