Daily Gospel Reflection
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October 30, 2025
Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
“Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go and tell that fox,
‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem.’
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Jesus desires to gather his children to be united with him, so he sends us the gift of the church, led by the Spirit, to gather us together “as a hen gathers her brood.” The church, the mystical bride of Christ, is God’s gift of a mother who gathers us and opens us all to the life of Christ.
Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, “In the mother’s smile, it dawns on [us] that there is a world into which [we are] accepted… and it is in this primordial experience that [we] become aware of [ourselves] for the first time.” When we come into the arms of mother church at our baptism, the church, the whole Body of Christ, smiles and gazes upon us. In the church’s gaze, we recognize the beauty of our own dignity. We find love in this smile, which awakens in us a true love for beauty, for Christ.
May we immerse ourselves in the mother’s gaze on all her lost children, so that we be inflamed with the zeal of Christ’s mission for the church. In these times of people seeking hope, let us continue “today, tomorrow, and the following day” to lead others to the mother church, not letting fear get in our way, but trusting that the church is holy and true because of its head, Jesus Christ. Let us lead others into the beckoning wings of the sacraments and apostolic tradition, into the loving embrace and security of doctrine, into the gaze of the communion of saints, into the warmth of Scripture, and into the smile of Mary, the mother of the church; for it is the mother’s smile that leads to a deeper love and encounter with Jesus.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you long for us to be united with you in love, yet all too often we choose to turn away from you because of persecution and suffering. Strengthen us to trust in you and joyfully follow your will, despite earthly trials. We ask this in your name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Marcellus was a soldier in the Roman army who died for the belief that sovereignty belongs only to Christ. His relics are embedded in the main altar of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus.
In the late 200s, Marcellus was a centurion in the Roman army and was posted in Spain. As the empire celebrated a feast in honor of the emperor with sacrifices to the gods, Marcellus, wanting to remain pure of heart, stood in front of his legion and condemned the celebration. Though he was a centurion, he cast aside his belt (a distinguishing mark of his rank) and declared himself a soldier of Christ, the eternal king.
His fellow soldiers were dumbfounded—they did not know what to do with him. They reported him to their superiors, and he was thrown into prison.
We still have transcripts from his trial, which record Marcellus declaring, “I am a Christian, and can serve no other than Jesus Christ, Son of God.” He was sentenced to death for desertion and impiety and was beheaded on this date in 298.
St. Marcellus is patron saint of conscientious objectors to military service.
St. Marcellus, you set aside your rank and gave your life to serve only Christ the King—pray for us!