Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 25, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
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.
Throughout my life, I have struggled with bearing good witness to my faith. Growing up in a deeply Catholic family, I was taught to love God ever since I was a little girl. Yet, it wasn’t until my time at Notre Dame that I really felt fear of the Lord in my heart (which I partially credit to a class I took on Saint Thomas Aquinas). God went from being a friend and a wishing well to the creator by whose love I am humbled and whose judgment calls me to holiness.
Despite this, senior year of college often felt like living with one foot in the heavenly world and one foot in the earthly world—going to daily Mass in the morning while still being drawn into the distractions and social rhythms of college life. This dissonance has been the great challenge of living my faith up to this point (something that most Catholic young adults probably relate to). In today’s gospel, Jesus calls us to act on God’s Word and not just listen, but to build our lives on the rock of God’s will. Faith is not meant to be abstract, but to transform the way we live.
Having graduated a month ago, much about my future feels uncertain. Being hundreds of miles away from the place I called home for four amazing years and saying goodbye to my closest friends has at times felt like the wind and rain. As I go out into the world, I place my hope and trust in God, praying for grace and strength through the Holy Spirit. I continually strive to live out my interior faith outside the nurturing walls of Our Lady’s University.
As I grapple with fear about the difficulty of medical school, building a good life, and discerning God’s will, I return to the foundation Christ describes today. It is in my relationship with God that I find grounding to withstand the hardships of life and to navigate today’s world.
Prayer
Lord, you tell us to build a house on rock and not on sand. We need a strong foundation for our lives, or we will surely be blown away by the first gust of wind. In our hearts we know that we cannot survive without you, but still we are fearful. If we allow you to get too close what will we have to give up, what will we have to change? Give us courage, Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. William of Vercelli is honored as a saint who was a leader in monastic life—both because he established a number of monasteries and because his rigorous discipline, prayer, and fasting were an example for many monks.
He was born in 1085 in northern Italy. When he was an infant, both of his parents died and he was raised by extended family. He must have had an uncommon connection to the divine because at the age of 14 he left his home and family and set out on pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela in Spain—he even fastened two iron bands around his body as extra mortification.
Not much else of his youth is known. As an adult, he returned to Italy and lived as a hermit on a mountainside, and became locally famous for healing a blind man. To escape the acclaim, he left the area and went to stay with another hermit, St. John of Matera, and the two became close friends.
William intended to continue on to Jerusalem as a poor pilgrim, but John had a sense that God was calling William to something else. William departed, but was mugged by robbers, and took that event as a sign that his friend was right.
He went to live on a mountain named after the ancient poet Virgil, and a number of priests and lay men joined him. He formed them into a community and built a church there, naming it after Mary in 1124. The mountain became known as Monte Vergine after that—and still is called that today. The monastery is still there as well, part of the Benedictine congregation.
A colorful legend tells of William building the church on Monte Vergine himself with only a donkey to help him. One night a wolf killed and ate the donkey. William scolded the wolf, and ordered it to take the donkey’s place. Sensing it had interfered with a divine plan, the wolf obeyed and began hauling loads of stone for the saint.
After forming the community on Monte Vergine, William appointed an abbot and left with a few followers and his friend, John. He established another monastery in a nearby region. Again, after it had taken root, he appointed an abbot and went on to found other communities.
The king of Naples asked William to join his court because he wanted William’s advice. Some of the king’s courtiers distrusted and disliked William, and they set a trap for him. They sent to his room a prostitute to lure him into sin. When she entered the room, William is said to have walked to the fireplace, laid down in the coals, and invited her to lay with him there.
The woman was horrified, but was amazed when William rose from the hearth unharmed. The story goes that she converted on the spot and entered a convent.
St. William died on this date in 1142, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. William of Vercelli, you traveled through Spain as a 14-year-old pilgrim, and grew up to lead monasteries—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. William of Vercelli is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
