Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for October 2, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I am Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, coming to you from our chapel in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is October 2nd, the feast of the guardian angels. And in the gospel today, Jesus speaks about the angels, specifically in the context of children. He reminds everyone never to look down upon children because their angels are constantly before the face of God the Father in heaven. That each of us has been blessed with the gift of a guardian angel. Someone who’s a full-time whose full-time assignment is to help us to grow into the image and likeness of God to help us to achieve the purpose of human life by becoming holy as God is holy by getting an A+ on the gift of life and entering into God’s eternal presence. It’s a full-time gift that reminds us of the presence of God.
Many of the saints have kept a supernatural sense by always recognizing that every single person they talk to has a guardian angel. And we’re never going to be able to neglect somebody’s dignity when we recognize that they’re so valuable to God that he is more or less given a special angelic secret service agent to be able to protect the person along the way and to be able to guide the person home if only we cooperated always with the angels. In the other part of the gospel, Jesus describes one of the functions of the angels, one of the ways that they want to help us on earth, and that’s to become truly childlike so that we’re able to trust in God and all he wants to give us more than an infant would trust in two parents whom that infant knows loves him or her. It the whole conversation begins when somebody asks, “Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And Jesus brings them to conversion right off the bat. brings a child in the midst of those asking the question says unless you convert and become like little children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven won’t even get there unless we’re able to accept it like a child and then he says the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is one who can receive one such child like me that the guardian angels are helping us to become true sons and daughters of God and that We have got to be able to receive others the way a young child is not threatened by another young child, but immediately wants to start to play with that child, immediately wants to befriend that child.
The guardian angels are constantly at work trying to help us to do that. Today, on the second day of World Mission Month, we’re praying for all missionaries through St. Therese’s intercession and all the patrons of the Pontifical Mission Societies that you can see behind me. Our guardian angels help the missionaries to connect with those who are supposed to hear the gospel. Whenever I preach, I always say a little prayer to the guardian angels of all those to whom I’m listening that they might be open to hear God’s word through me despite all my defects. Let’s pray through the guardian angels of all those in missionary territory, the 5.5 out of 8 billion who have not yet received Jesus and ask the guardian angels to intercede to prepare rich soil to receive the seed of the gospel that missionaries bring every day.
We’re 17 days from World Mission Sunday. Can’t wait at the end of today’s reflection. Brothers and sisters, I just want to make a special invitation to you. We’re getting closer to the month of October, which is two things. First, it’s World Mission Month, which we pray for and sacrifice for missionaries, which has its culmination on World Mission Sunday, which this year is October 19th. And secondly, October is the month of the Holy Rosary. And in honor of both of these month-long celebrations, the Pontifical Mission Societies USA are going to be getting together with anybody who wants to join us from all over the country and world to pray the World Mission Rosary. This was put together by my predecessor, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, when he was director of the Pontifical Mission Societies to pray through our Lady’s intercession, the Holy Rosary for missionaries and those they’re serving in each of the continents of the world. Below on this email, you’ll be able to click on a box which will allow you to sign up to join us. I hope you will pray the World Mission Rosary with us throughout the month of October.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”