Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 23, 2019
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
When my wife and I moved to Pittsburgh, we bought a quaint 1941 Cape Cod home. As with most homes from that era, it came with a tiny galley-style kitchen, just under ten square feet. The refrigerator took up most of the space. Dishes dried on a towel on the floor, baby bottles poured out of our undersized cabinets, and our wedding china was stored in the basement. It was cozy, to say the least.
Somehow, though, the tiny slivers of remaining open countertop were constantly filled with fresh-baked cookies and homemade pizza with sauce pureed from tomatoes from our garden. The delicious smells drew people into the small space. Our kids played on the kitchen floor while adults maneuvered around them with hot pans. Friends and family drank wine while chatting with the cook. The maximum occupancy threshold was breached almost every night.
Modern kitchen design dictates only a couple of absolute design principles: you must have a sink, a stove, and a fridge. Beyond that, it doesn’t really matter what size or shape the kitchen is. Good food can come from any kitchen, even a tiny one, and loving people can make it a social hub, even if there’s nowhere to sit.
In a similar way, Jesus offers us a couple of absolute principles as a framework by which to live our lives. So long as we “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, and love our neighbor as ourselves,” we can abide in God’s love as we choose to, according to our own personal vocation. We have the freedom to share God’s joy in our own unique way, and that joy has the ability to draw crowds to us, even into tiny kitchens. Might as well bake them some cookies.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may everything we do this day honor the profound depth of your love for us. May our gratitude show itself in fruits of justice, love, and peace for each person we meet and for those throughout the world who continue to suffer. Thank you for your love. Amen!
Saint of the Day
St. Julia is a fifth-century saint who is revered as a martyr in the Italian church. Julia was born as a wealthy young heiress or princess in Carthage, but was captured as a slave by Vandals who invaded Carthage.
Her master appreciated her hard work, and Julia became invaluable to him, so he allowed her to continue practicing her Christianity and forego worshiping their native gods. Her master took Julia with him on a trip to Gaul. He landed in Corsica, at a village that was holding a pagan festival, and the ruler of the village asked Julia's master why he had a slave who would not join in their worship of the gods. Julia's master responded that he could not dissuade her from her Christianity, no matter how hard he tried. Because she was such a skillful, hard worker, he could not do without her and needed her as a part of his household. The pagan ruler said he would trade four of his best slaves for Julia, but Julia's master refused. "Even if you gave me all you own, I would not part with her," he claimed.
The village ruler waited until Julia's master fell asleep, then he abducted Julia from where she was resting on the ship and tried to force her to offer a sacrifice to pagan gods. Julia refused. He offered her her freedom if she would just make a sacrifice. "Serving Christ is my true and only freedom," retorted Julia.
The ruler had Julia tortured and crucified. When her master awoke, he ran outside to see his beloved Julia breathing her last. Legend has it that when Julia breathed her last, a dove left her lips and flew into the sky. Her body has remained in Corsica ever since, and she has been the patron saint of the island.
St. Julia, brave martyr of Corsica—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Julia is in the public domain. Last accessed March 11, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
