Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 5, 2020
Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection, they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Reflection
Jesus often does not act like we might expect a “Son of God” to act. My wife likes to remind me of this point often – that God rarely comes to us in the ways we would expect. Many who awaited and anticipated the Messiah in the Old Testament expected a warrior, a great king, a powerful ruler who would overthrow the political regime and install his own people at the top of the new power structure. It would make sense for the king of the universe to arrive on earth with the resounding of thunder and lightning, not as a helpless infant born in a cave in the dead of night. We’d expect the “Lion of Judah” to enter his kingdom with a roar, not riding on the back of a donkey. And when the naysayers and the doubters jeered and taunted, demanding that he “prove” his credentials by coming down from the cross, it would be understandable for one bearing the power of God to vindicate himself through a dazzling display of might and splendor.
But to come down from the cross would have been to do something other than what Jesus came to do; it would have been to display power simply for its own sake. Because we know the story of the resurrection, and we know that Jesus could calm storms and feed thousands with nothing but a few loaves and fishes, we know that he could have spared himself from the cross. Choosing not to do so, somewhat paradoxically, displays a far greater power at work. It signals a “power made perfect in weakness.”
In persevering through love unto the very end, Jesus reveals something essential about who God is, and what it means to follow him. Do I seek to exercise my “power” over others? Do I choose the path of self-vindication, or that of love? Do my actions help others recognize the Lord and profess: “truly, this is a son of God”?
Prayer
Lord, we praise you day after day for your goodness through all the changes and transitions of our lives. You are king, not only of each space and place, but also of each moment in time. On this Palm Sunday, help us always to be patient and forgiving with a spirit faithful to you, ready to follow you through the cross to new life. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Vincent Ferrer was the most famous missionary of the 14th century.
He was born in 1350 to an English noble family living in Spain. When he was a child, his parents received an omen that Vincent would become a great holy man, and they taught him prayer and fasting and care for the poor. He joined the Dominican order and became a brilliant student. He progressed quickly through his education and took on a chair in philosophy in the best university of the region at the age of 21. He became known as a great preacher and teacher.
Vincent lived during a great schism in the Church, when rival popes were reigning from Rome and Avignon. He was called upon to serve as confessor and advisor to one of the rival popes, and his pleas for unity were ignored. His role was a great strain on him and he became sick. During his illness, he received a vision from Sts. Francis and Dominic, who told him that he was to go about preaching penance as they had done. His health was restored and he got permission to leave the papal court.
Thousands would gather to hear him preach as he traveled from town to town, and some even started to follow him around. Eventually, those who remained close to him were organized into a religious community; some of the group would stay behind in a place he visited to help people establish greater devotion and faithfulness in their lives.
Conversions and miracles were reported when people heard him preach. He spoke mainly on the realities of sin, death, hell, and eternity, and he preached with such vigor that many sobbed and some fainted. Though he only spoke in Spanish, he could be understood by those who spoke French, Italian, and German, as well as many who spoke other languages.
The disunity in the Church continued to trouble him, and his advice helped finally to bring about a resolution. He died on this date in 1419, during Holy Week, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Vincent Ferrer, great missionary and miracle-worker—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Vincent Ferrer is in the public domain. Last accessed February 17, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
