Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
June 20, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”
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.
There’s a popular tradition that says that the words “Do not fear” appear 365 times in the Bible; one for each day of the year. Whether or not the number is exact, today’s gospel is an eloquent invitation to think about those words again and, one more time, to trust.
In this passage, Jesus tells us three different times: “Do not worry.” He points to the beauty of creation, the birds of the sky, and the flowers of the field as simple signs of the tenderness of God’s providence. Even though they do not strive endlessly for security, the Father cares for them.
Human beings, on the other hand, worry constantly. We worry about tomorrow, about the future, about finances, work, health, and all the things we think we need to control in order to feel secure. Anxiety can many times come from the arrogant illusion that everything depends on us.
But Christ reminds us that faith begins precisely there, in the moment when we recognize that we cannot carry on by ourselves. God counts on our fragility to help us recognize that we are not alone. God knows what we need better than we do ourselves. The invitation of the gospel is not to ignore reality or responsibility, but to stop living as if fear, or our own capabilities, had the final word.
Three times we are told not to worry, not because life is easy, but because God remains faithful through every uncertainty. The invitation is to live one day at a time, seeking first the kingdom of God and trusting that God knows what we need and when we need it.
Prayer
O God, we can be anxious about so many things, even though Jesus your Son counseled us to be free of worry. Assist us to trust you in all things and to be mindful of your providential care for us. Might we thus receive your abundant gifts openly, cherish them reverently, and share them generously, confident in the inexhaustible concern you show. We make this prayer through Jesus your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Osanna of Mantua was born in 1449 in the Italian city of Mantua.
By the tender age of six, she reported having seen angels appear to her. She refused to marry, despite her father arranging a marriage to her. Instead, at the age of fourteen, she dedicated herself to the Dominican consecrated life by becoming a Third Order Dominican. Osanna was a great admirer of St. Catherine of Siena, a prolific Dominican, and Catherine's example inspired her to join the Dominicans.
Osanna returned home, having informed her father she had made vows. She waited thirty-seven years before taking final vows, caring for her siblings after their parents' deaths.
Osanna had many visions during prayer—she had one in which she saw her own heart before God, another in which she saw the Blessed Virgin, and another in which she saw images of Christ in his Passion.
Osanna bore the marks of Christ's passion upon her head, side, and feet. Osanna was a spiritual guide to the poorest of the poor, the beggars whom she cared for, and to the ruling elite of Mantua.
Osanna died in Mantua in 1505. Her relics were later transferred to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, where they lie today. She was beatified in 1694 by Pope Innocent XII.
Blessed Osanna of Mantua, stigmatic and mystic—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Osanna of Mantua is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
