Daily Gospel Reflections for Oct 3, 2026

SPEAKER_1 (0:26)

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. October 3rd, 2026, Saturday of the 26th week in Ordinary Time. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

SPEAKER_2 (0:54)

The Seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. He said to them, I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, nothing will in any way hurt you.

Nevertheless, don't rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight. Turning to the disciples, he said, All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.

Turning to the disciples, he said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings desire to see the things which you see and didn't see them, and to hear the things which you hear and didn't hear them.

SPEAKER_1 (2:33)

The Gospel of the Lord The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name. Jesus said, I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

The seventy-two disciples returned from their mission full of excitement. They had gone out as Jesus instructed, and what they experienced must have been beyond anything they expected. Even demons obeyed when they called upon the name of Jesus. They had witnessed firsthand the power that came from being sent by him. It is easy to understand why they came back rejoicing. Jesus did not dismiss what had happened. He acknowledged the authority given to them and the defeat of the enemy. Yet, he immediately redirected their attention. Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

There is an important lesson here about where we place our sense of worth. The disciples were excited about what they could do. Jesus wanted them to remember who they belonged to. Their ability to cast out demons was remarkable, but it was not the foundation of their relationship with God. Their true reason for rejoicing was much deeper. They were known by God and belonged to Him. We can easily fall into the same trap even when we are doing good things. We feel encouraged when our work succeeds, when people appreciate what we have done, when a prayer appears to be answered, or when something we worked hard for finally produces results. There is nothing wrong in being thankful for these moments. The problem begins when success becomes the place from which we draw our worth. Success can disappear. Plans can fail. Something that worked yesterday may stop working tomorrow. People who once praised us may lose interest. Even our ability to serve can change because of age, circumstances, responsibilities or health. If our joy depends mainly on what we accomplish, our sense of worth will rise and fall according to what happens around us.

Jesus points us toward something that does not depend on any of this. Your names are written in heaven. Before we accomplish anything, we are already known by God. Before anyone notices our efforts, God sees them. Before we succeed or fail, His invitation to belong to Him remains.

Our identity as His children is not something we earn by becoming useful enough, successful enough, or spiritually impressive enough.

This also protects us from pride. The disciples said that the demons were subject to them because of your name. Even in their excitement, the source of their authority was Jesus. Whatever good came from their mission began in Him. The same is true for us. Our talents, opportunities, strength, wisdom and ability to help another person are gifts and trusted to us. We can work hard and take responsibility for what we do, but we should never forget where everything begins.