Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 3, 2026
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying,
“Teacher, Moses wrote for us,
If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child,
his brother must take the wife
and raise up descendants for his brother.
Now there were seven brothers.
The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants.
So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants,
and the third likewise.
And the seven left no descendants.
Last of all the woman also died.
At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be?
For all seven had been married to her.”
Jesus said to them, “Are you not misled
because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.
As for the dead being raised,
have you not read in the Book of Moses,
in the passage about the bush, how God told him,
I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob?
He is not God of the dead but of the living.
You are greatly misled.”
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.
My introductory neuroscience professor would create questions for lecture where the correct answer was often “none of the above.” As a young student, I had the assumption that a list of choices guaranteed a solution, and often desired a further explanation beyond none. Throughout class, my professor would take the question and move beyond none, giving the correct alternative, showing that when the listed options failed, the actual answer was far more elaborate.
In this passage from Mark, we see the only appearance the Sadducees make in this gospel as they confront Jesus. Unbelievers in the resurrection of the dead, they pose a hypothetical story involving Levirate marriage, trying to trap Jesus in a corner. They frame it so Jesus must either deny the widow’s marriages or defend an afterlife where she is married to seven men at once.
However, Jesus takes the dilemma and rejects both of the propositions, stating that their choices are flawed due to the group knowing “neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” He describes to the Sadducees that God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob despite their deaths. If he still is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, there must be life remaining for them through the resurrection, not bound to the earthly structures, but transcending them.
Jesus took the options the Sadducees gave him and answered with “none of the above,” then provided an elaborate basis. He reminds the Sadducees that the truth cannot always be found in the options we provide for ourselves, but in ideas that transcend our own understanding. Let us, through this gospel, work not to constantly seek the correct answer from the choices we’ve created, but open ourselves to listen to the answers the Word shows us.
Prayer
Lord, grant us the same wisdom you showed your questioners. First, let us come to know the Lord God in his mercy and providence for us; second, let us glimpse the message of your never-ending care for what we say and do. You are the creator of us all, and we are in your hands. Trust should mark our relationship with you, and thanksgiving for your mercy toward us, even in the foolishness of our sins.
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.