Daily Gospel Reflection

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November 13, 2023

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
Lk 17:1-6
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Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Reflection

Victoria Whitmore '21
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Today’s teaching from Christ is difficult to understand. Even the apostles said, “Increase our faith.” Yet, in this beautiful passage, Christ tells us what true faith, hope, and love are through his instructions regarding sin.

Faith is a requirement of hope and love. It is a life-giving virtue that grows like a mustard seed. The smallest amount of faith can grow, making a soul made more into the image of God to give good fruit—that hope and love.

Hope understands that God has infinite mercy and love for us—that we will be forgiven when we inevitably sin. This does not mean God is indifferent to whether we sin. Jesus emphasized the seriousness of sin and the severe consequence of eternal death, especially when we lead others to sin. However, God does not hold grudges. We are called to hold onto hope and never despair because God always wants us to return to him. There is always room for redemption and forgiveness because God is pure, intense love.

Love is a balance of justice and mercy. Justice is our calling to do the right thing, to call out the wrongdoing in the world, never berating or bringing others down, but to teach the ways of God. Thus, admonishing the sinner is an act of mercy. We are called to rebuke sin, be it our own or of our neighbor, and to forgive our neighbor and ourselves. Christ calls us to keep our hearts soft, to let the love we receive flow out in well-balanced justice and mercy.

With God’s assistance may we mirror more fully the life-giving way of faith, hope, and charity.

Prayer

Rev. Don Fetters, C.S.C.

Gracious and forgiving God, grant me the wisdom to recognize and rebuke the sin I may cause and often do not see. And may your loving forgiveness which has been repeated so many times in my life, inspire me to treat with enduring patience and kindness those whose actions provoke the same. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

An immigrant herself, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini served thousands of Italian immigrants who came to America at the turn of the century, looking for a better life. She is the first naturalized American citizen to be canonized a saint.

Frances was born in 1850, two months premature, to a very large family in Italy who grew cherry trees. She grew up with a great desire to become a missionary to China, but had chronically fragile health and was not allowed to join a religious order. She began to work as a school teacher in Italy.

By 1880 she had become the headmistress of an orphanage and gathered other women to join her work teaching and raising the children. This community of women formed into a new religious order, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and dedicated themselves to missionary work.

When the order was approved by the pope in 1887, she asked to be sent to China, but the pope instead sent her to serve the large number of Italian immigrants in the United States. Some 50,000 Italian immigrants were living in New York City, many of them in poverty, so she left Italy in 1889 with six other sisters to begin their work. Thanks to her remarkable trust in God and sharp administrative mind, their order grew and established many schools, orphanages, and hospitals.

Her order served people in New York but soon spread to other parts of the nation, then around the world. In 1907, Frances became a citizen of the United States and she died ten years later in Chicago. She is represented in this panel on Notre Dame's law school building:

Panel honoring St. Frances on the exterior of Eck Hall

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants and hospital administrators. Here is a prayer inspired by her commitment to recognizing the dignity of immigrants:

Some of Mother Frances' relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus, while most of her body is preserved at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Upper Manhattan. Frances Cabrini's inspiring witness to Christ and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who cared for the displaced and poor who came to America as immigrants—pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.