Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 26, 2025
Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
In this gospel, we hear that Jesus was praying alone—again. Jesus often prayed alone: we hear about him praying alone on mountaintops, in the Garden of Gethsemane, even during his 40 days in the desert. This has always struck me as a bit strange. After all, didn’t he have more important things to do while he was on earth rather than to pray alone? There was no end to the number of sick people he could heal; there were people to raise from the dead and demons to cast out. In the passage immediately preceding this one, he fed 5,000 people.
I find it very difficult to find time to pray alone. There are so many other important priorities. As a teacher, there are always more papers to grade or students to help. As a parent and husband, there are countless responsibilities—not to mention being a good friend and keeping up with the news. All of these are pretty important to me.
Jesus teaches us a great lesson, however. Despite all of the essential things he accomplished during his public ministry, he consistently took time to pray.
Several years ago, I made a significant career change, leaving the business world to become a teacher. It was a very difficult decision, and I had a hard time deciding on the right career path for me. Eventually, it was being alone in prayer with God that helped me think clearly and see the path I was supposed to take.
I recently read an amusing anecdote that God should pull civilization over for speeding. We are all so busy doing as many things as fast as we can. If Jesus needed time to pray, we most certainly need to pray as well to be sure we are on the right road. Going on the wrong road quickly only gets us to the wrong place faster.
Prayer
Jesus Christ is Lord. This is our profession, but we can struggle to live it out. By God’s Grace we can continue to give over every part of our lives, every part of ourselves, into Christ’s hands. As the Constitutions of Holy Cross state, “There is no failure the Lord’s love cannot reverse, no humiliation he cannot exchange for blessing, no anger he cannot dissolve, no routine he cannot transfigure. All is swallowed up in victory.” Jesus, do not relent until every part of us proclaims your name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Cosmas and Damian are twin brothers known as the “moneyless ones” because they practiced medicine as a service to humanity, and did not ask for compensation.
They were born in third-century Arabia and were trained in science and medicine in Syria. As Christians, they believed that healing the body was a work of charity. Their example of goodness and their service to the sick brought many people to Christ.
They were known as good and faithful men, and it was impossible for them to hide when Christians faced persecution. They were arrested and beheaded for their faith around the year 283. Miracles of healing were attributed to them after their death, sometimes with the brothers appearing to people suffering from illness and curing them.
Along with St. Luke, these brothers are patrons of doctors and surgeons. They are also patrons of pharmacists, those who work in the chemical industry, people suffering from blindness, and against disease.
St. Damian is depicted in these stained glass windows from the Basilica, where he holds a bottle of medicine. Relics of both brothers rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Sts. Cosmas and Damian, you were the twin brothers who brought people to Christ by caring for their health—pray for us!