Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 11, 2025
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.
The town I grew up in is home to a well-known Evangelical college. Many people in town work there, and many of its alumni live and work there, too. Because of this, their children were my youth sports teammates, summer camp friends, and neighborhood playmates. Over the years, I was frequently struck by how outspoken my Evangelical friends were about their faith. One question they always asked me was, “Are you saved?” I remember not being quite sure what that meant.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus answers the question, “What does salvation consist of?” Salvation is knowing the Son of God. How do we come to know Jesus as the Son of God? Through the sacraments and by reading the Bible.
The gospels are filled with stories of the miracles Jesus performed: healing the sick, driving out demons, turning water into wine, and even bringing people back to life. Why did Jesus perform these miracles? To prove to the world he is the Incarnation—both true God and true Man. Jesus’ divine nature is revealed in all of these works. No mere human could have performed any of these wondrous deeds. They are the works of the Father. Jesus says plainly, “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
Just as these miracles weren’t enough to convince the Pharisees Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, we also live in a world resistant to belief in the saving power of Jesus. Many people are like the Pharisees, who looked to stone Jesus and obliterate him from this world. Like the Pharisees, they, too, crave power and ultimate authority over themselves and others rather than accept God’s saving grace.
True salvation is found in Jesus, and the Bible is the treasure map that leads us to him. Within its pages lies the truth of Jesus’ divinity and, ultimately, our own salvation.
Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, the words of Jesus your Son scandalized some of those who first heard them, and he was accused of blasphemy. Centuries later, we still seek to live within the outlandishness of Christ’s promises—promises so deep and abiding that they conquer all sin and death. Make us fearless in proclaiming the truths that set us free. You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Stanislaus, one of the most famous Polish saints, was born in Poland in 1030. His parents were from a noble family, yet they were childless until their fervent prayers were answered with the birth of Stanislaus. As a result of this gift to their prayer, they dedicated their new baby to the service of God.
He was educated and ordained a priest, and his bishop gave him a prominent position in the cathedral in Krakow. He was an eloquent preacher and a great example of holiness—his words and actions inspired both laypeople and clergy. People came from all over for his advice.
The bishop offered to step down from his office so that Stanislaus could lead the Church there, but the saint would not hear of it. When the bishop died, though, the pope named him bishop of Krakow in 1072. As bishop, he continued his preaching and made regular visits to the people under his care. It is said that his house was crowded with poor people and that he maintained a list of widows and other people in crisis so that he could regularly offer them assistance.
The king of Poland at the time, Boleslaus II, was a cruel man known for his savagery in war and in the way he ruled his people. Stanislaus tried to correct the king, noting the scandal that his behavior caused, but he did not change his ways. When the king forcefully kidnapped the wife of a nobleman, the Polish nobility turned to government and Church leaders to do something. No one wanted to offend the king and incur his wrath, but Stanislaus was not afraid. He threatened the king with excommunication.
When the king did not release the nobleman’s wife, Stanislaus formally excommunicated Boleslaus. When the king tried to enter the cathedral for Mass, the priests would not celebrate the liturgy in his presence by order of Stanislaus. Boleslaus tracked Stanislaus down, found him in a chapel outside the city, and ordered his guards to kill him. They refused, and he entered the chapel with his own sword and killed Stanislaus.
Stanislaus’ body was cut to pieces and thrown about the countryside to be eaten by wild animals. Legend has it that eagles protected the remains until they could be collected and preserved as relics, some of which rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is the patron saint of Poland.
St. Stanislaus, you are the patron saint of Poland who was not afraid to stand up to a cruel king—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Stanislaus is used with permission from Catholic Online. Last accessed February 21, 2025.