Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 13, 2026
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers,
and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
When we encounter something that transforms us, we feel a deep conviction to share it. In today’s Gospel, the crowd is immediately struck by a newcomer’s presence. As Jesus claimed authority through his commanding words and healing actions, the people of Capernaum were filled with questions. Yet, they are moved enough to transform from observers into witnesses, sharing Jesus’ authority throughout all of Galilee.
For years, I kept my distance from the Catholic church, hesitant to commit to what I did not yet know. Taking my first theology course at Notre Dame invited me to grapple with who God was, and mysteries such as the incarnation and the cross felt sacred yet ineffable. To bridge the gap between my intellect and my heart, I spent hours pondering around St. Joseph’s Lake, calling my brother, and journaling.
Faith, I was learning, requires risk, asking of us the courage to trust before every question is answered. Like the unclean spirit in the synagogue who cried out, “What do you have to do with us?” I had questioned what Jesus wanted with my life. I was afraid of what he might ask of me if I truly let him in. When I finally returned to the sacrament of reconciliation, I brought every doubt with me.
To my surprise, what I received wasn’t all the answers. Instead, an unwavering peace washed over me, and for the first time, seeking Jesus felt not like a burden, but total liberation. Jesus’ authority, I once feared as a set of restrictions, revealed itself as pastoral guidance rooted in love. Like the people of Capernaum, we realize his teachings stem from a heart of mercy that comes not to destroy us, but to heal and set us free, and we are compelled to share this Good News.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick, cast out demons, and cared for the lost and hopeless. Heal us from the damage caused by our sins, and cast out all hatred, jealousy, lust and wrath from our hearts. And when we have experienced your healing touch, make us ready to serve you joyfully and to share your peace with others. We ask this in your holy name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Hilary was hailed by the best minds of his age as an “illustrious” teacher and a “most eloquent man”—high praise from St. Augustine and St. Jerome, two of the greatest theologians the Church has ever known.
He lived in the fourth century and was born and raised in Gaul, what is now France. His family was not Christian, and Hilary came to the faith through intellectual study. His curiosity and reasoning led him to refute polytheism, and when he started seeking one God, he found Scripture. The story of Moses, where God’s identity is revealed as “I am who am,” captivated him, and he immersed himself in the other writings. He was baptized as an adult in his 30s.
Before his conversion, he was married and had a daughter, and his family followed him when the people chose him as bishop of Poitiers. He adamantly refused his selection out of humility, but that just made the people want him more.
As bishop, his learning served the people of his region, and the Church as a whole. He wrote a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, which still exists, and was an effective orator and poet. He once said that it was the work of his life to use all of his gifts to announce God to the world. He encouraged people to begin and end every action with a prayer.
Hilary fearlessly sought and defended truth—an important quality during his age, which was marked by the Arian heresy, a strain of thought that distorted the nature of Jesus. Because of his opposition to this heresy, and the political forces behind it, he was cast into exile for three years. He departed from Poitiers with an attitude as though he were leaving for a vacation—he welcomed the dangers and hardships he would face and kept his attention focused on God alone.
During his exile, he continued to write; one of his most important works from that time was about the Trinity. The earliest hymns we have in the Latin tradition can be traced to Hilary.
When he was restored to Poitiers, he was welcomed with a great celebration among the people. He was known as a gentle and friendly man, but was unflinching when he faced those who obstinately opposed the true faith.
Hilary died in 368, and was declared a doctor of the Church, a title given to 38 saints who are known for elucidating the faith by their words or example. He is patron saint of children with disabilities, mothers, and sick people; his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Hilary of Poitiers, you are the doctor of the Church who is patron saint of children with disabilities, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Hilary of Poitiers is in the public domain. Last accessed November 14, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
