Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 21, 2022
Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“Amen, I say to you,
no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel
in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built,
to hurl him down headlong.
But he passed through the midst of them and went away.
Reflection
I can only imagine how the early church followers felt each time they preached about Jesus and were rejected. All of us at times have felt like we were “driven out of town” for doing what is right and following our faith. It can make us feel very lonely at times. When people are filled with fury while we are simply trying our best to share the truth of the Good News, it can be a lot to handle.
In my work as a principal of a Catholic grade school, I am reminded each day that our vocation is to educate our students and prepare them to go out into the world. I am always cognizant of the greatest responsibility my teachers and staff have to form our smallest people. I know that my students will be sent into a world that will sometimes challenge their beliefs and respond harshly to the teachings of our faith. While I wish I could tell my students that they will always be met with acceptance and love when they seek to do what is right, we all know it is not that easy.
Because of this, I am continually reminded of Blessed Basil Moreau’s conviction that the mind must not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. With hearts full of faith, we are able to draw near to Jesus when the world feels judgmental or cold.
As today’s reading reminds us, he drew near to us first, braving judgment and fury to share God’s Good News.
Prayer
Lord, how easily we label those who are not part of our little group of like-minded souls, or those who upset the nice comfortable status quo, or those who are—to put it gently—different. Forgive us, Father, for we do not know what we do. We say we want to be close to you, to listen to you, yet we deliberately shut out those through whom you might be speaking to us, or channeling your grace and help. Our heads and hearts see the folly in this, but our fear keeps us holding “them” at arm’s length. Help us, please. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Benedetta Cambiagio began her adult life as a wife, and ended it as a nun. Along the way, she continued to work closely with her husband.
She was born in Italy in 1791, and had parents that conscientiously formed her in the faith. When she was 20 years old, she had a mystical experience that encouraged her to pursue a vocation to live as a nun, but her parents preferred that she marry. Out of obedience to them, she married Giovanni Frassinello in 1816.
The couple lived a normal married life for two years, until Giovanni recognized in Benedetta a genuine and deep desire to live as a dedicated religious sister. They decided to live together as brother and sister. Benedetta's younger sister, Martha, was sick with cancer and the couple took her into their home and nursed her through the final stages of the illness until she died.
After Martha died, Giovanni and Benedetta both decided to enter religious communities to live lives consecrated to God alone. The idea did not last long as Benedetta's health failed. She was cured miraculously through the intercession of St. Jerome Emiliani, and rededicated herself to religious life and to the education of young girls.
Working with her bishop, she reformed the approach to educating women. Because of the enormity of the task, the bishop requested Giovanni to help her. The two made a vow of chastity to the bishop as they set out on their work, but that did not stop many from gossiping. Benedetta turned her work over to the bishop so that she would not get in the way, and withdrew to a convent in a different town.
Eventually, Benedetta opened a different school and founded a religious community of her own, which is entirely dedicated to the education of young girls. The spirituality of her community is marked by a confidence in God, and abandonment to God’s will.
St. Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello, you were the wife who became a nun to transform education for girls—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed February 6, 2025.