Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 10, 2019
Jesus went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Everything Jesus did was intentional. After having just chosen and named his apostles, with the greatest intention, Jesus descends the mountain and stands on a stretch of level ground. Being on level ground, Jesus showed his apostles what it is like to be among those in need of healing, those tormented by unclean spirits, and those hungry for God’s word and touch.
Each of us has that stretch of level ground that beckons us. How will we recognize it?
Laetare Medal recipient, Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, in his acceptance address at Notre Dame’s 2017 Commencement ceremony, shares this insight, “You imagine, with God, a circle of compassion and then you imagine nobody standing outside that circle. You go from here to dismantle the barriers that exclude. And there’s only one way to do that: and that is to go where the joy is, which is at the margins, for if you stand at the margins, that’s the only way they’ll get erased, and you stand with the poor, and the powerless and the voiceless.”
If we find the level ground that beckons us, and we create that circle of compassion where nobody is excluded, amazing things happen. Our eyes are opened to the face of God reflected in those at the margins. It’s almost like the level ground becomes the mountain top and we see the glory of God revealed.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you spent a night in prayer before you announced your disciples and the beginning of our Church. The Twelve placed their faith, hope and trust in both God and man. May I join this group in all its fullness: faith in Jesus Christ, hope in His mercy and trust in His provident care. I ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Nicholas of Tolentino was a priest in 13th century Italy who is known for his miracles among the poor and neglected.
His parents were childless until they visited a shrine of St. Nicholas and asked for a son who would serve God. The couple received a boy and named him after the saint who had helped them conceive.
As a child, Nicholas imitated hermits and would hide in the caves near his home and pray. As he matured, he heard God calling him to dedicate his life to prayer and reflection, and when he heard an Augustinian priest preaching one day, he resolved to join that order of priests.
While in formation, he complemented his theological studies by distributing food to the poor at the monastery gate. His first miracle happened when he placed his hand on the head of a sick boy and said, “The good God will heal you.” The boy was instantly cured. A few years later he was ordained a priest, and became famous for using the same words to heal a woman who was blind.
He settled in a monastery in Tolentino, and spent the rest of his life there preaching in the streets. Though the city was torn by civil discord, he raised people’s attention to heaven. Many were moved to conversion upon hearing him.
One man, however, was not moved. He was used to a wayward, evil life, and whenever he came upon Nicholas preaching in the streets, he would try to shout him down and disrupt the crowd’s concentration. Nicholas refused to be intimidated—he was resolute and patient, and this steadfastness began to have an effect on the man’s heart.
One day, the man brought friends to fight with swords in the street near Nicholas as he preached, so as to cause people to scatter. Nicholas persisted, though, and the man put down his sword and began to listen. Afterwards, he apologized to Nicholas and began to reform his life.
Soon after this, Nicholas became a sought-after confessor and would sometimes spend the whole day hearing confessions. He also went into the slums of Tolentino to care for the poor and sick—many stories of conversions and healings were attributed to his work. “Say nothing of this,” Nicholas would say after an extraordinary event due to his intercession. “Give thanks to God, not to me. I am only an earthen vessel, a poor sinner.”
Nicholas spent the last year of his life suffering from an illness that killed him. He got up from his bed only once, to hear the confession of one who was burdened with a great sin, but refused to speak to anyone but Nicholas. He died on this date in 1305 and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Nicholas is patron saint of babies, those who work on the water, and those who are dying.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino, you were the monk who inspired conversions with miracles and preaching, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Nicholas of Tolentino is in the public domain. Last accessed April 3, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
