Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 7, 2022
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
My very first 8th grade Language Arts class in Brownsville, Texas, will always hold a special place in my heart. I was a green and energetic ACE teacher, eager to impart my finely detailed curriculum, but I was not prepared to relate personally to the 12 year-olds that filled my desks.
My students soon broke down my exterior walls and, in the end, taught me how to teach. They shared stories of their families, many from across the border, and I reciprocated with stories of my own family in “far away” Lincoln, NE.
As I began to build relationships with my students, not surprisingly, they began to take an interest in literary plot structures and parts of speech. My students wanted to learn the material because they knew and trusted me.
Today is the feast day of St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, patron saint of teachers. De La Salle was blessed with great riches and extensive education as a young man. To the horror of many in his family, he gave up his titles and inheritance so that he could live among the teachers and students he served. LaSalle knew that to educate, we must enter into a place of communion and solidarity with another.
We can know our catechism backward and forwards, but if we do not know God, the great I AM, intimately, as Jesus illustrates in today’s gospel, our knowledge is fruitless.
La Sallian schools end their daily prayers with the line: “Live Jesus in our hearts!” In this communal refrain, we invite God into the core of ourselves. It makes us come alive and allows us to learn about and connect with others—most especially our Lord.
How can we invite God into our hearts in these final days of Lent? How do we make time and space for our most important relationship? Live Jesus in our hearts, forever! Amen.
Prayer
God in heaven, Jesus your Son spoke the truth, a truth rejected by many who heard him. We strive to live in that truth—we want our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to keep us faithful. Make us ever more aware of the life-giving promises that Jesus proclaimed, that we may live forever in your sight. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. John Baptist de la Salle is a patron saint of teachers and all those who work in education because he founded Catholic schools and revolutionized Christian education.
He was born in 1651 to a wealthy family in Reims, France, the eldest of 10 children. He went on to university studies and then entered the seminary, but had to leave because both of his parents had died, and John was left as the head of the household. Six years later, he finished his studies and was ordained a priest. He went on to earn a doctorate in theology.
John became associated with a community of religious sisters who educated young girls, serving as their chaplain. His connection with their work flourished, and he began to adopt their mission for education. He lived in a time when there was a large gap between the wealthy and the poor, and he believed that education was the best tool for those living on the margins to improve their lives and grow in holiness.
He was asked to help found a school, and he went to great lengths to support the teachers there, who lacked training and qualified leadership. He gathered them for meals in his own home, which was a big step at that time because he was still of the upper class.
He eventually founded a new religious community, the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools, known as the Christian Brothers (these Lasallian Brothers are a different order than the Irish Christian Brothers, who were founded by Blessed Edmund Rice). Looking back, he could say that he had no intention of becoming so involved—he began with the expectation that he would support teachers materially from his resources and offer supervision. Over time, however, he was drawn ever deeper into the mission of education through these teachers, to the point where he joined his life with theirs. He abandoned his family home and inheritance, left an important position with the Church, and dedicated his life to forming teachers.
By the end of his life, John and the brothers in his community had established a network of schools throughout France that taught students in the vernacular (not Latin), grouped them according to their ability, taught both religious and secular subjects, trained teachers in both skill and mission, and integrated parents into the educational endeavor.
One of his most lasting contributions was the way John pioneered the training of lay teachers. Today, his community of brothers contains some 6,000 men who work with many other collaborators to teach nearly a million students every year.
John died on this date in 1719, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus. He is depicted in the Basilica in a stained glass window that portrays Catholic educators surrounding Jesus—he is the figure standing on the right.
St. John Baptist de la Salle, patron saint of all those who work in education—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. John Baptist de la Salle is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
