Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 8, 2023
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
Reflection
Goodness, are we really called to hate the people we love the most? Are we really called to renounce everything we have? I certainly love many people and enjoy some creature comforts: an air conditioner, a working toilet, a car, and a stable home.
I didn’t have these last spring when I traveled with 13 Notre Dame students to the Farm of the Child (“the Finca”) in Honduras, a third-world country with minimal resources. But when I returned, I realized I had experienced more joy than I had in a long time: the joy of loving God first, the joy of letting go of the unnecessary stuff of life. I was able to be more present to the Notre Dame students’ curiosity and hope, the Finca children’s energy and hugs, and the beauty of the ocean and mountains.
This is the joy of the saints. Servant of God Dorothy Day, born 126 years ago today, is on her way to canonization because of her willingness to surrender everything for God. It all started to her great surprise. As an anarchist and a radical, Dorothy encountered God in the eyes of her unexpected baby girl and realized that she needed to become Catholic. She left behind her anti-institution husband Forster and joined the Church. Feeling lost, she begged the Lord to show her how to live out her desire for love and justice. Soon after, she met Peter Maurin, with whom she would found the (now worldwide) Catholic Worker movement.
Dorothy’s journals reveal that her life was not always comfortable or happy: she missed Forster, wanted more privacy living in a house of hospitality, and found Church leadership frequently frustrating. But in letting go of what she thought she needed, Dorothy knew that God was inviting her into something greater and more meaningful than ever before: a joy that comes only with surrender.
Prayer
Christ our King, you know well that our spirits are willing to follow you, but we are often overwhelmed by other desires. In your great love, send your Holy Spirit to drive out all that separates us from obeying your will. May we always see in you the way, the truth, and the life that leads to heaven. Give us the courage to help lead our brothers and sisters to eternal happiness with you. Amen.
Saint of the Day

We do not know much about Pope Deusdedit, also called Adeodatus I, but the fragments of his biography that have been passed down to us certainly qualify him as a saint.
He was a Roman who lived after the fall of Rome—his society was troubled by unrest and civil disorder.
He was only pope for three years, but during that time, he led the clergy of the church in caring for the poor and the sick. When an earthquake ravaged the city and left behind a disorder of the skin that afflicted many people, he was front and center in the effort to care for them.
He was the first pope to seal documents with a bullae, a leaden seal—this is the source of the term “papal bulls” that continue to describe letters from the pope. One of his seals still exists today.
Deusdedit died in 618 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Pope St. Deusdedit, who used his short pontificate to care for the sick and poor, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Deusdedit is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 10, 2024