Daily Gospel Reflection

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October 3, 2024

Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lk 10:1-12
Listen to the Audio Version

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town.”

Reflection

Kristin Kuzmanich ’12 M.A.
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Today’s gospel passage touches on a topic many people tend to shy away from—vulnerability. In this passage, Jesus sends the disciples out on a mission, and the instructions given highlight how central vulnerability is to their task.

Vulnerability can be defined in many ways, but Brené Brown’s definition captures it well: vulnerability is “the courage to face uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” This gospel passage is filled with uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure, and Jesus doesn’t shy away from the truth of the vulnerability required to do what is asked.

Jesus shares the inherent risks and challenges, making it clear that spreading this message will not be easy or safe. Jesus also emphasizes this vulnerability by instructing them to travel without money, bags, or even sandals—items that all symbolize security and self-reliance. By leaving these behind, the disciples are called to a radical dependence on God, a profound spiritual exercise in trust. They must rely on God’s provision and the hospitality of others, demonstrating their faith in God’s protection and guidance as they witness to the faith.

In my own life, this gospel challenges me to embrace vulnerability, step outside my comfort zone, and trust in God’s guidance despite my fears or anxieties. It reminds me that living courageously means embracing vulnerability, but even more importantly, living in faith. Through my experiences with vulnerability, I have often found paths to a deeper relationship with God and an invitation to live more authentically as a witness to Christ’s message.

Vulnerability, therefore, is not a weakness but a profound strength. Just as the disciples were sent out with nothing but their faith, we, too, are called to walk this path, trusting that in our vulnerability, God is always with us. May we all embrace vulnerability as a way to better open ourselves to God’s call and to trust God more deeply in all of life’s moments.

Prayer

Rev. Steven Gibson, C.S.C.

Dear Lord, we have so many responsibilities and commitments to honor today. Through all of this, we ask that your Spirit remind us again and again about what really matters. Let your peace be ours. Let your joy fill us. Help us to be attentive to the concerns and the celebrations of others. Fill us with gratitude and with the grace to live in the moment. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Mother Théodore Guérin

St. Mother Théodore Guérin was a bold missionary who, despite her reluctance, established schools in Indiana at the same time that Father Sorin founded Notre Dame.

She was born as Anne Therese in 1798 in France in the thick of the French Revolution. Her father was an officer in the French navy under Napoleon and when Anne was fifteen, he was murdered by bandits. Her mother fell into a deep depression and so Anne devoted herself to caring for her mother and sister and their household for ten years. Throughout all these years, Anne's childhood desire to enter religious life only grew stronger. Finally, when she was twenty-five years old, her mother allowed Anne to enter the Sisters of Providence in Ruillé sur-Loir.

As a nun, Anne took the name Théodore and became a teacher. For a dozen years, she taught in Rennes, in central France and cared for the local poor there. During this time of ministry, Théodore fell ill from smallpox. Although she escaped death, the disease ravaged her digestive system, and for the rest of her life, she was limited to a simple, bland diet. Théodore quickly won over the local children with her charismatic teaching style and she established a thriving school in what was once the sisters' most difficult mission.

The Sisters of Providence quickly recognized Théodore's leadership skills. Thus, when the bishop of Vincennes, Indiana, requested more sisters to come help serve the rapid influx of Catholic immigrants, her community believed Théodore was the only possible woman who could lead such a trying mission. Théodore was reluctant, but nevertheless, left with five other sisters to the unknown diocese of Vincennes, Indiana on July 12, 1840—just a few short years before Father Sorin and seven Holy Cross brothers would make a similar journey before founding the University of Notre Dame in 1842.

When Father Sorin arrived at the site where the University was to grow, he found a simple log cabin that served as a center for missionary activity in the area. Mother Théodore had a similar experience—she and her sisters traveled by steamboat and stagecoach until they arrived in the middle of the Indiana forest to find a simple frame farmhouse that some American postulants had begun to turn into a convent.

On that very site, in 1841, Mother Théodore and her sisters opened St. Mary-of-the-Woods, the first liberal arts Catholic college for women in the United States. Under her leadership, the community went on to establish more schools and orphanages throughout Indiana. Mother Théodore also drew upon the medical training she received in France by adding pharmacies that dispensed free medicine to those in poverty in their school communities.

Mother Théodore was fearless in her ministry to those in need and committed to the sisters' mission of education. Her strong leadership was not always welcomed by the local hierarchy. She stood up many times to Bishop de la Hailandière, who closed one of the sisters' schools and overstepped his authority within the congregation, once even imprisoning Mother Théodore for a full day.

One of the miracles in her canonization cause was the healing of Phil McCord, of Terre Haute, Indiana in 2001. He had long worked at Sisters of Providence facilities in Terre Haute and was now losing his eyesight. He was legally blind and scheduled to have an operation. He prayed to Mother Guerin for strength and when he woke up the next day his eyesight was fully restored. Besides a small laser procedure to remove old tissue, he no longer needed surgery.

Icon of Mother Théodore in Zahm Hall

St. Mother Théodore Guérin, missionary who boldly built up the Indiana frontier—pray for us!


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