Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 1, 2025
 
Here is the video of today’s reflection: 

The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of  the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. I’m here at the world’s most beautiful church, the Cathedral of Monreale in Palermo, Sicily. I’m looking at Jesus the Pantocrator, the  ruler of all, on top of me. Today in the Gospel for September 1st, Jesus speaks to us precisely  about how he has come into the world to proclaim the gospel to the poor. He was the Messiah  anointed literally by the Holy Spirit in order to carry out that precious work.
Today, September 1st  is Labor Day in the United States of America. And we think about Jesus’s work of the saving of the human race. We think of the work that built this most beautiful church dedicated to the Lord. We also think about the work that the Lord has given to each of us every day.
Today is a day in which we all draw close to the Holy Family of Nazareth to learn the gospel of work from St. Joseph, from  Our Lady, and from Jesus Christ himself, who took on a real human trade, so that we recognize  that as we’re doing something for the world, we’re also building up ourselves in virtue.  Today, let’s pray through the intercession of St. Joseph for all those who work hard, that we might come to work just like Jesus above me worked for our salvation so that we can experience the fruits of our work with him forever. God bless you.
 
 
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based was:






GOSPEL
Luke 4:16-30
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll,
he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
They also asked, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”
He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb,
‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place
the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'”
And he said,
“Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.
Indeed, I tell you,
there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah
when the sky was closed for three and a half years
and a severe famine spread over the entire land.
It was to none of these that Elijah was sent,
but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Again, there were many lepers in Israel
during the time of Elisha the prophet;
yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
When the people in the synagogue heard this,
they were all filled with fury.
They rose up, drove him out of the town,
and led him to the brow of the hill
on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.