Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 17, 2021
The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
There are many times in the Gospels when it seems like Jesus is saying to his disciples (in not so many words), “is any of this getting through to you?” Today, the disciples finally seem to understand what Jesus is telling them about his identity, his mission, and his purpose. I had to laugh at Jesus’ response to this: “Do you believe me now?”
Oh, how many times have I said this to my own children? Hasn’t every parent thought this in their minds as our children suffer the inevitable consequences that we have warned them about? “If you keep leaning back on your chair like that it will tip over.” Bam! “Okay, do you believe me now?” And there are more serious things we try to convey to our kids that they just can’t seem to understand until they experience it themselves.
I think this is what the disciples are experiencing in this reading. Jesus has been trying to help them understand who he is and what he is doing through his entire ministry. But it is not until the disciples have their own “aha moment” that they are able to stop questioning and truly believe that Jesus has come from God.
We are not only like the disciples in this passage, we are like our own children. We question and we resist and we disbelieve what God is trying to show us. Sometimes we need to learn for ourselves through our mistakes, but we know that God will always pick us up off the floor. Sometimes we have a moment of clarity in prayer when we feel that God is especially close to us and we see things in a new way. In either case, God will always be there for us, ready to say (without any condescension or sarcasm): “Do you believe me now?”
Prayer
All-powerful and ever living God, your Son, Jesus Christ, taught us to not be afraid of pain and suffering. As we face this world’s uncertainties and challenges, send your Spirit to sustain, nourish, and fortify us for wherever life takes us. Help us to remain faithful in good times and bad until we see you again and rejoice in your presence forever. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
There are two early Christian martyrs with the name Restituta, and the relics of one of them rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus. We know very little for certain about either of these saints—both martyrs had legends spring up about their lives.
Restituta of Carthage was martyred either in 255 or 304 (the record is unclear). In medieval times, a legend arose that described Restituta being tortured, then placed on a flaming barge and released into the Mediterranean sea. She drifted away on this flaming barge, but remained unharmed, as she prayed to God to save and guide her. The barge with her body in it was discovered on the coast of an island near Naples, Italy. Today, her relics are kept in the cathedral at Naples, and her feast day is May 17.
Restituta of Sora was a Roman noblewoman who was martyred in 271 in Sora, Italy. Legend tells of her travelling from Rome to Sora, where she healed a leper and converted 39 people to the faith. When the authorities heard of her activity, they arrested her and tried to force her to sacrifice to the Roman gods. She refused and was tortured and imprisoned. An angel helped her escape, but she and several people who she converted were caught and beheaded.
In both cases, we do know that two women, both named Restituta, were willing to die for their faith rather than conform to the culture around them.
St. Restituta, the early Christian martyr who preferred faithfulness to death, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Restituta is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
