Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 23, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
Today is my mother’s 75th birthday. A grandmother and a witness to the long arc of motherhood, I can’t help but reflect on today’s gospel through the vocation of mothering.
Mothers are frequently subject to harsh judgment, often without consideration of the broader context or their underlying circumstances: A young twenty-something in an airport waiting room glances disdainfully at a mom whose kid is on an iPad and mutters to her friend, “When I’m a mother, my child will never…” as if parenting were an exact formula easily mastered in theory. Comparisons between mothers can become a never-ending competition as we pridefully reflect: “Well, at least my children are better than so-and-so’s.” But such measurements signify nothing.
This vocation is not a linear career path one climbs but an ever-evolving mirror to our very selves, unfolding our strengths and frailties as we journey through each developmental stage with our children. In truth, we do not fully know the kind of parent we will be until we are called into the task—until we are stretched thin, summoned by love beyond ourselves. How will the challenges reveal our true character?
Rather than judge the woman with a van full of kids in the drive-through restaurant juggling dinner and endless carpools, perhaps, as fellow parents, we should turn our gaze inward. Are we loving our children in the ways they need to be loved, or merely in ways that affirm our own emotional needs as “good parents”? Are we truly present to them or just presentable to the world we wish to impress?
Today, as I honor my mother’s life, I am reminded that motherhood is not a performance, but a pilgrimage. It is measured not in milestones or appearances, but in the unseen sacrifices. Today’s gospel calls us to self-examination and humility—a humility that frees us to love more fully, and to receive the grace that meets us, imperfect as we are, in the holy work of raising another.
Prayer
Lord, there are many kinds of blindness. We know that we are blind at times about what we should do or how we should live. In our blindness we often pass by someone who needs a kind word or a helping hand. Improve our vision so that we can be ready to see what you want us to do and whom you want us to help. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Joseph Cafasso stood at the center of a network of religious people who shaped the Church with their work in the 1800s; he had a large influence on St. John Bosco’s vocation to work with boys.
He was born in 1811 in Italy. His health was good, but he was undersized, and his body was twisted because his spine was slightly deformed. He was an excellent student, and assisted his classmates in their studies. He was sent to seminary, where he was the best student in the school, and was ordained a priest in 1833. He pursued further studies in moral theology.
In spite of his small size and his stooped posture, Joseph commanded respect among those he met with his handsome features and deep, resonant voice. He was a compelling preacher, and became a very effective lecturer.
He was given leadership positions in the institutions where he taught, and formed many priests who studied there. A very young St. John Bosco met Joseph and was inspired by his example. He followed Joseph and studied at his school; it was Joseph who helped John discover his vocation to work with wayward boys.
Jansenism, a scrupulous strain of thought that considered any fault a grave sin, was a popular belief among many, and Joseph helped people find balance in their spiritual lives, especially though his ministry in Confession. “When we hear Confessions, our Lord wants us to be loving and compassionate, to be fatherly towards all who come to us, without reference to who they are or what they have done,” he wrote to fellow priests. “If we repel anybody, if any soul is lost through our fault, we shall be held to account—their blood will be upon our hands.”
He was famous for his ministry with prisoners, and is the patron saint of those in jail and those who care for them. The prisons of his day herded the condemned together under horrible conditions, and he visited men, giving them dignity and inspiring hope. The most famous of his converts was a man who deserted the army and was leader of a notorious gang. Joseph accompanied more than 60 prisoners to their execution—he called these men his “hanged saints” and asked for their prayers.
Several other priests and nuns who founded new religious communities found an effective ally in Joseph—at least ten emerging orders found his support and guidance indispensable.
In 1860, Joseph fell ill, and he died on this date of pneumonia. John Bosco preached at his funeral, which was attended by an enormous crowd.
St. Joseph Cafasso, you served prisoners and inspired a generation of priests and nuns—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Joseph Cafasso is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
