Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 30, 2025
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
I was in a workout class during the Lenten season, and the instructor asked us to go around the room and share one thing that made us smile that week. South Bend had just seen sunny days the week prior, and it felt as if the long-lasting winter had finally come to an end.
Much to our disappointment, it was the typical “fake Spring,” and we had just been hit with five inches of snow that day. The gloom and doom had not only returned yet again to our town, but also to my heart and mind. As the crowded room shouted out what made them smile that week, I heard a voice from behind me say, “The snow made me smile.” I thought to myself, “How could that make someone smile?” Upon further reflection on my initial reaction, I have actually come to appreciate the woman who managed to find something light in what I thought was pure darkness.
In this second week of Easter, we hear the gospel proclaiming Christ as the one who became light. The gospel calls us to prefer light over darkness—to prefer Christ over all other things—to come towards the light of Christ and to live in the truth of our God’s goodness and grace. In doing so, darkness is dispelled.
As we continue to celebrate our risen Lord during this Easter season, we may not feel that everything in this joyful time is full of light. Your own heart or mind might find itself dwelling on some form of darkness (like the weather). But we have hope that our Lord may work through the voices of those around us to remind us of light amidst darkness.
May we be a voice that does the same for others. In our darkness and weakness, may we draw ourselves and others near the one who is light for the sake of eternal life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we have done many things that we are ashamed of, things that we would prefer be kept hidden. Yet we also need to remember that no sin is greater than your love for us. So please grant us the courage to stop hiding and come out into the light of your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.
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.
