Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
May 21, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
Tears running down my face, shock, elation, fear, and anxiety overwhelmed me. My husband and I already had two beautiful, healthy boys. We dreamed of having a third child, but thought it impossible. We were emotionally prepared to remain a family of four if it were God’s will. But just like so many times before, God works in and through the impossible in timing all God’s own. At what doctors call “an advanced maternal age,” I just found out that I was pregnant.
My husband and I are two busy full-time physicians who care for others as our mission. Add the cost of parenting two energy-filled young boys, and you can imagine how we often felt as if we were doggy paddling with only the tip of our noses above deep waters.
It felt like I was not “bearing fruit” in the ways others were seemingly so easily doing so around me. How could I dare to ask for more when I was barely keeping what I had together? How often do we question our desires, our journeys, and whether we have the tools to navigate them following God’s will?
But within the words, “Remain in me,” from today’s gospel, I found peace and comfort. It echoed in my brain, listening to this song written with the very words from today’s gospel passage. I played it on repeat over and over again until I could hear no other distracting thoughts. Looking to the incredible strength of Mary and residing in the love of Jesus, I had all I needed.
Today, our blessed family of five still occasionally doggy paddles (quite clumsily) in deep water, but by remaining in God’s love, we pull ahead to calm shores.
Prayer
What a comfort for us to realize that we are not alone, for this day we are as connected to you as a branch is to the vine. We flourish because of you, for our vitality comes from you. Even as you prune us and things do not proceed as expected, we are comforted knowing that we will blossom in new ways. Thank you, God, for nurturing us each waking moment of our day. Let us never be parted from you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Cristobal Magallanes is one of 25 Saints who are honored for refusing to be intimidated by the anti-Catholic policies of the Mexican government. They were killed for leading the faithful during the persecution of the Church in that country at the start of the 20th century.
Cristóbal was born in Mexico in 1869 to a family of farmers—he grew up working as a shepherd, and entered the seminary at the age of 19.
After his ordination, he was assigned to a parish in his hometown. There, he started schools and helped the people initiate public works to benefit the town, such as a carpentry shop and the building of a dam. He also began a mission in a nearby village to reach the local indigenous people.
A secularist and anti-Catholic Mexican government took shape during the Mexican Revolution, and in 1914, it closed the seminary where Cristóbal studied. He offered his parish as a relocation site for the seminary, and soon 17 students were (illegally) preparing for the priesthood there.
During the revolution, Cristóbal spoke out against armed rebellion. Still, he was accused of supporting the Cristero rebel fighters. On this date in 1927, he was traveling to a farm to celebrate Mass and was arrested. He was executed four days later without a trial.
After his arrest, he gave away his possessions to those who were about to execute him. Just before he died, he shouted this statement from his cell: "I am innocent and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood serve the peace of our divided Mexico."
On this date in 2000, Pope St. John Paul II canonized St. Cristóbal Magallanes along with 24 other martyrs who were killed between 1915 and 1937 during the Mexican Cristero War. Twenty-one were priests who were killed for attempting to offer the sacraments under the anti-clerical rule of the government, and three were lay people. These Saints of the Cristero War all share today’s feast date.
St. Cristóbal Magallanes and companions, you offered the Sacraments to the Mexican faithful under threat of death—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Cristóbal Magallanes is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.