Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 13, 2026
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
“You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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.
At the beginning of the year, I challenged myself to spend 15 minutes a day in meaningful prayer. It was a conscious effort to make the Lord a central part of my daily life. Even though this time represents only 1/96th of my day, it has not always been easy. Some days, I find myself caught up in the busyness of life or simply making excuses.
Today’s gospel reminds us of the strength required for a relationship with God. Such a relationship demands intention, effort, and time. We are called to choose the Lord each day over life’s small, fleeting comforts—the extra 15 minutes of television before bed, scrolling through social media, or hitting the snooze button in the morning. Yet the reward is immense when we summon the strength to overcome these distractions.
Today’s gospel is like the whistle at the start of a race—a call to embrace the challenge of nurturing our relationship with God. When we prioritize God above all else, we discover the joy of a relationship in which we are continually loved, forgiven, and guided. Moreover, like building strength in the weight room, spiritual strength requires practice.
Some days, we excel at praising Jesus and keeping him at the forefront of our lives. But we are human, and with that comes failure, like the days when God is pushed aside by responsibilities and struggles. These moments are not defeats, but opportunities to grow. The more we recognize when we have strayed and consciously return our focus to God, the stronger our spiritual discipline becomes. Over time, I know those 15 minutes of daily prayer will transform from a challenge into a nonnegotiable daily practice.
Prayer
Lord God, draw us in! Draw us closer to your kingdom! Help us to understand rightly that we were made to love you and our neighbor, in all we think, say, and do. May this Lent be for us a true season of renewal. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Saint of the Day
As a missionary, Bl. Agnellus took the Franciscan way of life—poverty, simplicity, prayerfulness, community—to England in both word and deed.
He was born to a family of nobles in Pisa, Italy, in 1195. St. Francis himself received him into the Franciscan order. Even though he was a deacon, he was sent to Paris to start a Franciscan mission there. From there, he was sent to England with nine other Franciscans.
True to the spirit of St. Francis, they set out for England with no money. A monastery near the coast paid for their passage to Dover. When they arrived, they settled at Canterbury in a building that was used as a school by day. They had to stay huddled in a back room while students were in the building, and after they had left, the Franciscans could come out and make themselves feel at home with a fire. For sustenance, they had only a little bread and a thick beer that had to be diluted with water. These conditions, however, did not dampen their spirits and they were quickly known for their simple piety, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm. The community grew and they secured a place to live in London and a school at Oxford.
King Henry III befriended Agnellus, and admired his holiness and purity. He asked Agnellus to serve as a diplomat and to negotiate a dispute between the king and an earl that threatened civil war.
Agnellus was known as a deeply prayerful man. He shed tears continually during Mass because he was moved so deeply, but he did not make any kind of show of his piety. He strictly followed a commitment to poverty. He only consented to build anything when it was a last resort, it was said, and one of the infirmaries was built so simply that its ceilings were only barely higher than a person.
He died at the age of 41 of natural causes in 1236, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Blessed Agnellus of Pisa, you were the Franciscan missionary who founded centers of study and prayer in England—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Agnellus of Pisa is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed February 6, 2025.