Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 23, 2025
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
This passage has haunted me since I learned it was mine to reflect on. Why me? Why now? Why should I face words that feel so unsettling, almost unbearable? Isn’t Jesus supposed to bring peace, justice, love, and the example of a righteous life—starting with a family united in love?
It took me time to understand why I felt such resistance. I kept delaying, circling around the text, asking myself: Is this connected to what I’m about to go through? My spinal surgery?
I left my country in search of the best possible conditions for this surgery. My “life GPS” brought me here—close to my children and their families. I wanted safety, competence, and love around me. It seemed clear: God had aligned things for me. Why, then, would God now confront me with a passage about division—even among family?
At first, I refused it. I could not accept the idea of standing “against” my own children. That felt wrong, even offensive. But with time and prayer, I began to see another layer. Perhaps Jesus isn’t telling me to fight against those I love, but rather challenging me to let go of my own fears, judgements, and expectations. The fire God speaks of may be the fire of the Holy Spirit—the fire of purification, urgency, and transformation.
This gospel is hard because it is true. Following Jesus sometimes shakes our comfort, exposes what needs to change, and even creates misunderstanding. Living faith with integrity is not always welcomed, even among those closest to us.
But Jesus calls us to courage. To set the world on fire with love, truth, and compassion. To trust God, even when the way challenges our faith—feels sharp, unsettling, or painfully personal.
And so I ask: am I willing to let God purify me through this trial? Am I ready to accept that the fire God brings is not to destroy, but to transform, even me, even now?
Prayer
Father all-powerful, you sent the Holy Spirit into the world to set our hearts on fire. May the grace we receive through your Spirit help us to heal the divisions that separate us from our brothers and sisters. Help us to be zealous advocates of your undying love for humanity, so that all people will work to make you known, loved, and served. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. John of Capistrano, nicknamed the “soldier saint,” helped liberate Belgrade from a military siege at the age of seventy.
John was born in Capistrano, Italy, in 1385, and studied law. After practicing as a lawyer in the courts of Naples, he was appointed the governor of Perugia. During a war with a neighboring city, he was imprisoned. During his imprisonment, John began to study theology, and when he was released in 1416, he forswore his secular profession and entered a Franciscan community at Perugia.
John studied with St. James of the March and St. Bernardine of Siena, and, through their guidance and his theological training, grew into a brilliant preacher. John's reputation as a charismatic and powerful preacher grew. John traveled throughout Europe and Russia preaching to large crowds and helping to establish Franciscan communities.
When John was well into old age, at the age of seventy, the Holy Roman Empire was facing the daunting military power of the Ottoman Empire. Both Rome and Vienna were under threat of siege. Thus, John was commissioned by Pope Callixtus III to incite in his enthralled audiences interest in a crusade to oppose the invasion. Extending his leadership beyond simply the pastoral sphere, John also served as a leader in the defense of Belgrade and marched at the head of 70,000 soldiers who won a decisive victory in Belgrade in 1456. John died only three months later.
St. John of Capistrano has a unique presence in the New World as well. In 1776, Spanish Franciscan missionaries built a mission in southern California and named it San Juan Capistrano. The stone church they erected is the oldest building still in use in California. It is the only surviving structure that has documented proof that St. Junipero Serra celebrated Mass here. For a long time, that church was the largest building in Southern California. One unusual tradition surrounding the mission church is a celebration involving the American cliff swallow. The church was located next to two rivers, providing an abundance of insects for the birds. Each year, the swallows journey six thousand miles to Argentina for the winter and travel back in the spring. Their return is welcomed with a famous celebration, Fiesta de las Golondrinas, which takes place on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph.
St. John of Capistrano is the patron saint of military chaplains and of those who work as judges and in various legal professions. Some of his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
St. John of Capistrano, patron saint of military chaplains and judges—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. John of Capistrano is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed October 4, 2024.