Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
April 30, 2021
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”
One of the things that I miss from years past is the subtle art of giving directions. With smartphones at our fingertips, turn-by-turn directions with live interactive maps are always available, so we rarely ask for (or give) directions anymore. You used to really be able to tell a lot about people and how they viewed the world by the directions they would give. Some would accurately estimate distances and provide great detail while others would be more impressionistic and descriptive about the landmarks along a given route.
Thomas is asking for directions in today’s gospel. The Lord says, “Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas (known for having his doubts) is not quite sure how this could possibly be true. He asks, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”
When we travel the same route enough times, we don’t need to ask for directions anymore. We know the way. This is basically how Jesus answers Thomas: “I am the way…” The disciples have been walking with Jesus, listening to his preaching, and witnessing his miracles for quite some time. They know by now that he is more than just a normal teacher, he is the way to the Father. They have travelled the same route with him over and over. They have internalized the way that he has shown them. They know how to find their way home
Sometimes we punch in directions for the same route on our smartphones even after we have travelled it many times. Like Thomas, we feel like we need guidance; we don’t trust ourselves to find the way. But if we had been paying attention all along, we would know the way. If we pay attention to Jesus and his Gospel, we will find that we already know the way. He is the way.
Prayer
No one knows the troubles we suffer, dear Lord, and sometimes our lives are hard to bear. Help us to trust in your consoling words, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” You know the depth of all people’s suffering and still you offered yourself on the cross to save us from ourselves, our pride, our self-centeredness. May the Spirit who raised you from the dead raise us up to serve others in their needs today. Alleluia!
Saint of the Day
Pope St. Pius V is best known for implementing the decrees and spirit of the Council of Trent, which standardized the Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation.
He was born Antonio Ghislieri in 1504 near Milan, Italy, and was a shepherd as a youth until he entered the Dominican order at the age of 14 and took the name Michele. He was ordained a priest in 1528, and was assigned to lecture at the university in Pavia. He taught there for 16 years, and led several Dominican houses.
His leadership was marked by reformist zeal—he helped discipline communities that had grown lax—and he was appointed an inquisitor. Over time, he was promoted as “supreme inquisitor” and it was from this position that he even dared to rebuke his predecessor, Pope Pius IV, for extravagance and nepotism. When Pius IV died, Michele was elected pope at the age of 62 and took the name Pius V.
As pope, he worked to implement the teachings of the Council of Trent, which was called in response to the Reformation. One of his decisions was to standardize the Mass in Latin—in 1570, he promulgated an edition of the Roman Missal that served the Church for 400 years, until Vatican II.
Pius V also clashed with Queen Elizabeth I, which escalated the conflict with the English throne and led to her excommunication and the active persecution of Catholics in that nation.
To consolidate the Church’s power, Pius V gathered Catholic states into an allegiance known as the Holy League. The navy of the Holy League met forces from the Ottoman Empire, and, though they were outnumbered, famously defeated the Turks thanks to the intercession of Mary at the Battle of Lepanto. This battle is memorialized in stained glass windows in the Basilica on campus, near the reliquary chapel that holds relics of Pope St. Pius V.
One other tradition from Pius' reign remains. As a Dominican, Pius wore his community's white habit and refused to change out of it when he was elected pope. His successors acknowledged and honored his holiness by wearing the same garb, which is why the pope is always clothed in white today.
Pope St. Pius V, your zeal and faithfulness guided the Church through the Counter-Reformation—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Pope St. Pius V is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
