Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 25, 2025
Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.
Before this passage of the gospel reading, Jesus had given the apostles their mission to spread the Good News and to heal the sick. Throughout the gospels, those who were healed would spread their testimony to all those who would listen, and those who heard would pass it off to the next person and then finally to the ears of those like Herod.
In this gospel reading, we can put ourselves in the shoes of Herod and those who were curious about who Jesus was and wanted to meet him. As Christians, we should strive to be open to a personal encounter with Jesus, and so we must ask ourselves, what prevented Herod from seeing Jesus?
I recently started reading the bible in a year because I realized I was missing this in my faith life. A few weeks ago, I was reading Psalm 73, and verse 26 caught my attention: “Even should my heart and my flesh fail, God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.”
I have had many emotions and changes over the past few months, and it was nice to receive a reminder of God’s love for me. Soon after that, I went to a holy hour at my local church, and once again I felt peace as I adored Jesus in the Eucharist. What greater love is there than Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross?
All this to say, a personal encounter with Jesus can come in many forms, like helping the needy, receiving a kind word from somebody, reading scripture, or seeing yourself as one of the people that Jesus interacted with in the gospels. We have to allow ourselves to hear the voice of Jesus because he is always waiting for us.
If we want to see Jesus, we will find him.
Prayer
Almighty God, you are the source of our love and our faith. May your gifts help us strive to see your Son and follow him with courage. May our lives reflect the faith of the great women and men who have gone before us proclaiming the good news. May your strength be with us, that we may stand against whatever storms and terrors may come. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
While St. Vincent Strambi was a bishop who single-handedly saved a city from Napoleon’s army, he is honored even more for so faithfully loving the Christian flock he was charged to shepherd.
The son of a pharmacist, Vincent Strambi was born in Italy in 1745. As a boy, Vincent liked to play practical jokes. The plucky good nature that inspired him to constantly prank his friends also inspired him to give away his own overcoat or shoes to any homeless child he encountered.
His parents saw his faithfulness, even at his young age, and decided that he would become a diocesan priest. Vincent made a retreat before his ordination, which was led by St. Paul of the Cross, who founded the Passionist order of priests, and he decided to enter that religious community instead. His parents strongly objected, which led to a prolonged confrontation between them and Vincent.
As soon as he was ordained a Passionist priest, Vincent was asked to become a leader by teaching theology and preaching to seminarians and filling administrative roles in the Passionist community. He led the Passionist community for 20 years before being elected bishop of Macareta-Tolentino, Italy.
The virtues which ruled Vincent's life as a bishop were zeal and discipline, and these virtues enriched the lives of the priests and laity of his diocese. As bishop, Vincent was especially attentive to the people in his care during both a typhoid epidemic and when a famine struck the city. In 1808, he was commanded to take an oath of obedience to Napoleon, but St. Vincent refused, and was accordingly expelled from his diocese. He continued to guide his people through correspondence.
Five years later, Napoleon was deposed and exiled, and Vincent returned to his diocese. Soon after, however, Napoleon escaped his imprisonment and, with 30,000 soldiers, occupied Macerata as his headquarters. His troops were defeated in the Battle of Tolentino and returned to sack and loot this city in their path of retreat. But Vincent went into the streets to plead with them—his courage saved the city.
After retiring as bishop, he moved to the Vatican to serve as an advisor to the Pope. He remained faithful to prayer and penance, and he died at the age of seventy-nine in 1824. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Vincent Strambi, you single-handedly saved a city from Napoleon’s army—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Vincent Strambi is in the public domain. Last accessed April 3, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
