Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 10, 2025
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
My siblings and I like to discuss which of us is our parents’ favorite child. Naturally, our parents keep declining to settle the argument for us despite our generous invitation to weigh in (although my mom will jokingly egg us on by occasionally pulling one of us aside to say that we are the favorite). Now that I am a parent of multiple children myself, I better understand their approach to the situation, but I still enjoy bringing up the topic.
Unlike my siblings and I, claiming the position of the favorite child for ourselves and attempting to put our parents on the spot, Jesus shows us a better way of approaching our heavenly Father. As St. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, Jesus, despite being God, humbled himself and became obedient to the point of dying on the cross. As a result, God exalted Jesus and gave him a name above every other name. Jesus does not need to claim glory for himself or demand that God give him glory. Instead, the resurrection and glory from God are just the natural result of Jesus emptying himself through the love he shows for us in his life, suffering, and death.
As we prepare to enter Holy Week, we can think back to the call of Jesus we heard in the gospel at the beginning of our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday. If performed before others, our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving might win praise, but that will be the extent of the reward. However, if we follow Jesus in his witness of humility and love God and our neighbor for their own sake, then Jesus tells us that our Father will repay us, and he reminds us of that today: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
We can trust this messenger. Although we are getting ready to walk with Jesus to the cross, we know we are also called to walk with him out of the tomb.
Prayer
God in heaven, Jesus your Son spoke the truth, a truth rejected by many who heard him. We strive to live in that truth—we want our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to keep us faithful. Make us ever more aware of the life-giving promises that Jesus proclaimed, that we may live forever in your sight. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Magdalene of Canossa was born in 1774 to a very wealthy family in Verona, Italy. When Magdalene was only five years old, her father died in an accident, and she and her siblings were placed under the guardianship of their uncle Girolamo. Their family was an influential group of Italian nobles, and from a young age, Magdalene was brought up immersed in the Italian church. In 1791, Magdalene joined the Carmelites, trying to discern her religious vocation, but soon she left the convent, feeling dissatisfied with the Carmelite way of life.
Magdalene returned home to run the family estate, where her family entertained Napoleon several times. Napoleon and his army upset the social equilibrium of Europe, and many of the vulnerable and poor were left in even more dire situations. Magdalene saw the suffering and cultural upheaval all around her and felt that it was her call to serve the needs of those around her. She continued to study under the Carmelites as she made plans to found a new society.
Using her large inheritance, Magdalene founded the Canossian Daughters of Charity, who ministered to the people living in the slums of Verona. Someone donated an old convent to Magdalene, and then they added convents in Venice and Milan. Pope Leo XII gave his blessing to the new congregation in 1823. A zealous Italian priest, Francesco Luzzi, worked with Magdalene to found the Canossian Brothers of Charity, for men who wished to join in Magdalene's mission of care for the poor.
Magdalene died on April 10, 1835. But her order has thrived, spreading throughout the world, from Italy to India, and has added saints like Josephine Bakhita to its ranks.
Magdalene was beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1941 and canonized over forty years later by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
St. Magdalene of Canossa, who used your great wealth to care for the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Magdalene of Canossa is in the public domain. Last accessed February 17, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
