Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 3, 2025
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
Today’s gospel was a bit of a grammatical tangle for me to get through. In fact, it wasn’t until I was pacing my living room, reciting aloud, that I was able to slip through the muddle of pronouns and perspectives and finally encounter some meaning underneath.
Perhaps it was that recitation that unlocked a glimpse for me, as Jesus himself was praying aloud before entering the Garden of Gethsemane. What struck me the most about this passage is that in the hours before his suffering and death, Jesus spends much of his time praying for others.
Even Jesus’ thoughts of himself and his path forward are made with his disciples and all of his followers in mind—not only the people he encountered directly, but all of the people given to him by God to witness to and save. Jesus’ work on earth was to connect with people, to show all people he encountered from all walks of life the glory of God through love, and to bring all people to that glory.
In completing that work, Jesus can now look forward to rejoining that glory and reconnecting fully with God in heaven. And by making that sacrifice, by leaving the world in which he was doing this great work, Jesus is opening the way for all people to join in that glory as well—to fully connect with God after our own work in the world is complete.
Prayer
God of compassion and strength, visit us and give us the hope of your Spirit dwelling within and around us. Help us to trust in the relationships of our lives that reveal to us your abiding love and lasting peace. Enliven us to always trust in your presence, especially when we embrace our brothers and sisters in joy, as did Mary and Elizabeth. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Even though Africa was among the first regions to embrace Christianity, much of the continent remained unevangelized until more recent times. Missionaries began their work in central Africa in 1879, initiating the evangelization efforts.
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 his royal court. One of Mwanga’s subjects, Joseph Mkasa, was in charge of the pages (young male attendants or servants) 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 was 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.
For a more in-depth description of each of the twenty-two martyrs, read this article from Church Life Journal.
St. Charles Lwanga and friends, you confronted evil, died for your faith, and encouraged Christianity in Africa—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Charles Lwanga is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.