Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 6, 2022
Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him,
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham
and have never been enslaved to anyone.
How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
A slave does not remain in a household forever,
but a son always remains.
So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.
I know that you are descendants of Abraham.
But you are trying to kill me,
because my word has no room among you.
I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence;
then do what you have heard from the Father.”
They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.”
Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children,
you would be doing the works of Abraham.
But now you are trying to kill me,
a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God;
Abraham did not do this.
You are doing the works of your father!”
So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication.
We have one Father, God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”
The Jewish people in today’s reading identify as “descendants of Abraham,” as children of God. In response to each of these claims, Jesus essentially says, “If you were who you say that you are, then you would act like it. But you’re not acting like you are, which leads me to doubt that you actually are.”
The Jews claimed to be sons of Abraham, but would not accept the word of Abraham’s God. They claimed to be sons of God, but were trying to kill the one who said he came from God. While they claimed a particular identity, their actions directly contradicted their claims.
Identities need to be backed up by the actions consistent with that identity. For example, a painter who doesn’t paint isn’t really a painter. This is obvious.
What is less obvious is that we cannot substitute our identities as Christians with any other identity, no matter how noble or righteous. If someone died and God said to them, “You actually didn’t act like a Christian,” that person isn’t going to get anywhere by saying, “Yeah, but I was an excellent dentist.” We can see the identity substitution happening in more subtle ways, too: “I’m a good Christian because I supported such and-such-political party!” “I’m a good Christian because I love my country!” “I’m a good Christian because I sacrificed to be a teacher!”
It’s easy and convenient to use another identity to justify what a good Christian might be, but God doesn’t work like that. If you’re a Christian, you need to act on it and sacrifice for it to claim that identity. After all, it’s the only one that will matter in the end.
Prayer
Jesus, you promised that the truth would set us free. Draw us into the mystery of your love for us, a love that frees us from the lies that keep us bound in sin and self-deception. May we embrace the new life that comes from Baptism and live in the freedom of the children of God. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Peter of Verona was famous for moving people with his preaching and miracles and was eventually killed because he proclaimed the truth so effectively.
Peter was born in the year 1205 in Italy, and when he went to study at the University of Bologna, he was offended by the behavior of his classmates. At the same time, he met the great St. Dominic and decided to follow him and entered the Order of Preachers.
Peter dedicated himself whole-heartedly to religious life—he spent his days in study or prayer or serving the sick. He grew into a successful preacher and traveled the region speaking to crowds.
He was falsely accused of scandalous behavior, and was exiled to a distant monastery until his name was cleared. He nearly despaired from the crisis, complaining that he had done nothing to deserve this trial. The insight came to him that Christ did not deserve his passion and death, and this thought restored his courage. When his name was cleared, he was even more effective as a preacher.
His eloquence and wisdom encouraged those struggling with their faith and brought back those who had wandered. He often spoke against those who professed to be Christian with their words, but who did not support those beliefs with their behavior.
He was given the gift of working miracles to accompany his preaching, and so many people were eager to hear him and be near him that he was often nearly crushed by the crowds that rushed together when he appeared.
In 1234, the pope appointed Peter as an inquisitor for the territory around Milan, which gave Peter an even wider context in which to defend and promote the faith. In addition to his preaching, he confronted heresy and reconciled those whose beliefs had strayed from the Church's.
His efforts created a number of enemies, as can be imagined, and they soon began to threaten his life. When he preached on Palm Sunday in 1252, he announced that a price had been placed on his head. “Let them do their worst,” he said. “I shall be more powerful dead than alive.”
On this date in 1252, Peter was traveling with another Dominican brother through the woods between towns when they were followed by assassins. One of the killers, a man named Carino, struck Peter on the head with an axe. Peter fell to the ground, wounded terribly but still conscious. Carino then attacked Peter’s companion. Peter began to recite the Apostle’s Creed before he was struck again and killed (which is why he is depicted with the word credo above, “I believe”). The other Dominican brother died five days later.
Carino, the assassin, fled to a distant town but was overwhelmed with shame at his actions. He repented of his crime and turned from the heresy that had inspired his opposition to Peter. He even later joined the Dominicans himself and was remembered as a holy man when he died.
Peter was canonized less than a year after his death, the fastest canonization ever. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus, and he is illustrated above by Matthew Alderman ’06. Some calendars mark his feast on April 29, and he is also known as Peter the Martyr.
St. Peter of Verona, you were the wonder-working preacher who was assassinated for opposing heresy—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Peter of Verona is an illustration by Notre Dame alumnus Matthew Alderman '06, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of his art. Used here with permission.