Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 3, 2023
Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The best advice I received when I started teaching in the ACE program was to make sure I had a reason for every decision I expected my second graders to follow. The philosophy behind this advice was two-fold.
“Because I said so” only works so many times before people become resentful. But more importantly, trust and cooperation, and in turn, authority, are earned through consistent commitment to integrity and service. They are earned when your students (or for parents out there, your children) realize that over time—decision after decision—you are looking out for their best interest and treating them with compassion and respect.
Jesus’ encounter with the temple leaders highlights just that. Certainly, the gospels are full of stories where Jesus demonstrates that his authority comes from a place of divine origin; for example, in his miracles.
But it’s also in his consistent love for all people, his concern for the poor and lowly, and his ability to demonstrate repeatedly that he is acting out of a place of our best interest that he gains his throngs of followers. It is this love that is at the heart of the construction of the church.
We often hear stories where students name the teacher who challenged them the most as their favorite. We don’t hold those special teachers up in respect because they made our lives challenging, but rather because they acted out of love to ensure we became our best selves. We honor those who honor us.
So too, are we called through this passage to recognize how Christ honors us by challenging us to follow his example and build the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is through Jesus’s authority earned by his own lived example that he asks us to respond to that call. And, if necessary, continue to do that critical work when the source of that authority is put into question.
Prayer
Lord, what must we do to be saved? How best can we do the work of God? The answer lies in listening to you, and not to the world’s cacophony which pulls us in a thousand different directions. Please help us to hear you more clearly today. Amen.
Saint of the Day

Even though Africa was one of the earliest homes for Christianity, the interior of the continent had not been evangelized until modern times. Missionaries first entered central Africa in 1879, and started to evangelize there.
Catholic missionaries made progress engaging people in Uganda until the local ruler was replaced by a new leader, Mwanga, who was displeased with Christians because they opposed his indulgent lifestyle.
Mwanga was often drunk, and forced himself upon the young boys who served at court. One of Mwanga’s subjects, Joseph Mkasa, was in charge of the pages and led the Christian community that had started to grow in the palace. Joseph openly rebuked Mwanga for these evils and for killing Protestant missionaries in a massacre. Mwanga threatened Joseph with death, but Joseph replied, “A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die.” In November of 1885, Joseph was beheaded.
Tensions continued to rise when other Christians refused to be fearful of this display of power. Charles Lwanga had taken over care for the pages and for the small Christian community from Joseph, and did what he could to spare the boys from the king’s vice. In May, Mwanga learned that some pages were receiving instruction in the faith. He sealed the royal palace and rounded up all of the pages with Charles.
The Christians were separated from the group, and Mwanga asked them if they intended to remain Christians. “Till death!” they replied. He ordered them all to be executed—most were just boys.
The group of boys were marched to a place for their execution 37 miles away. A number were killed along the way. When they arrived, they were all wrapped in reed mats and burned to death.
In all, 22 martyrs were killed under Mwanga, and they are memorialized on this date. When missionaries returned to Uganda after Mwanga’s death some years later, they found the Christian community had grown nearly four-fold in secret, encouraged by the witness of these martyrs.
The Catholic faithful of Uganda mark this feast day with pilgrimages and major liturgical celebrations. The relics of St. Charles Lwanga rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and his story and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program; illustration by Julie Lonneman and used with permission. The second image is a stained glass window in the Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine in Central Uganda.
St. Charles Lwanga and friends, you confronted evil, died for your faith, and encouraged Christianity in Africa—pray for us!