Daily Reflection for the Pontifical Mission Societies, September 27, 2025

Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 27, 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. It’s September 27, the feast of St. Vincent of Paul. And in today’s gospel, Jesus picks up from where he was yesterday. You remember after Peter confessed in the Messiah of God, Jesus told his disciples that he was going to be betrayed, handed over to the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and then the third day be raised. At the beginning of today’s gospel, Jesus is working all of these miracles. And everybody was amazed. But Jesus turned to them and reiterated, “Pay attention to what I’m saying to you,” he replied. And he said, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over. He’s going to be betrayed.” Jesus wants us to pay attention to that message. We know of his crucifixion, but some of the times we don’t take it seriously. just like his first disciples. We know that 40 hours later he was raised from the dead. And so we just speed by what happened on Good Friday.

But as St. Paul the great missionary would remind us, Jesus on Calvary is the power and the wisdom of God. For us to be able to appreciate all that he has done and is doing, we have to grasp how much he loved us. That he loved us so much that he took our place on death row. that he descended into the worst of human torture and execution in order to show us that we were worth saving. Today on the memorial of St. Vincent of Paul, one of the greatest saints in the church’s history.

We reflect how the whole church has the mission to take that message and reality out to proclaim Christ and Christ crucified and then from that depth to proclaim the power of his resurrection and what it means. St. Vincent of Paul when he was a young man was incredibly ambitious. He was nasty to his dad. His dad sacrificed a lot of his farm in order to send St. Vincent to school. But when his dad walked for a couple days just to visit his son, his son was so ashamed to be seen with his father, the farmer, that he didn’t even leave his room. As an early priest, he sought after the inheritances bequeathed by widows. But then he was captured as a slave. And when he was finally released, he was converted. And he wanted to spend the whole rest of his life spreading love of God. He did it in high society. and he founded the congregation of the mission in order to be able to take Jesus’ salvation out to the peasants, the farmers, those like his family growing up all over France. And they were so effective that the congregation of the mission, the Lazarus spread throughout the entire globe, forming priests in order to be true missionaries. Today on his feast day, we pray in a special way for the continuation of Jesus’s mission. St. Vincent was an incredible lover of the poor and founded so many means in order to care for the poor. Let’s ask for a double portion of his spirit, especially those who are so poor that they don’t know that Christ, even though he was God, became poor to make us rich. God bless you.

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. 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: