Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 13, 2024
Jesus answered the Jews:
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.
“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.”
When teaching a college course many years ago at a different university (before the prevalence of Google or the dawn of ChatGPT), I discovered two seniors had copied portions of their essays from each other. The plagiarism policy of the institution was to fail them for the course, with no instructor discretion. That seemed to me far too heavy a penalty for this first infraction, and though I had agreed to the institutional policies by virtue of my teaching there, I opted to fail the students for only that assignment.
People feel strongly about plagiarism and doing one’s own work. I do too. At the same time, I felt it was important to weigh the facts of this situation and create an opportunity for learning. The penalty held them accountable and affected their GPA but allowed two otherwise good students to maintain their dignity and graduate a few months later. Admittedly, though, I did not follow the strict “letter of the law.”
Are there times in our lives when we can lead with accountability and compassion?
Today’s gospel begins in the middle of a discourse between Jesus, who had just healed a man suffering from a 38-year illness, and the Pharisees, who were infuriated that Jesus had performed this miracle on the Sabbath.
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work,” Jesus tells them. For the Pharisees, any kind of work on the Sabbath was an unforgivable sin—even healing a sick man. The Pharisees led with accountability but little compassion.
We need rules and laws to fend off chaos. Jesus was a man of the law, but he also lived a life of love. Can we be more like Jesus, and follow our Father who is a God of compassion? Let’s get to work.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, we stand before you today and ask for the grace to do your will. We await the hour when you will call out to those in the tombs, and for the dead to hear your voice. Breathe new life into us, that we may hear your voice, and act in accordance with your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day

St. Euphrasia of Constantinople was an early Christian saint who lived in the fourth century, in the capital city of Constantinople. Various legends about her life relate slightly different stories about her origins, but all are agreed that she was a young noblewoman who chose serving God over marriage.
Euphrasia is believed to have been born around the year 380 in Constantinople. Her father was a member of the Emperor Theodosius I's imperial court. After her father died, Euphrasia and her mother retreated to Egypt and lived in a monastery with other women there.
At the tender age of seven, Euphrasia begged to take monastic vows and join the monastery as a nun. She showed a devotion to Christ and a desire to serve him far beyond her years. Accounts differ of which emperor wanted Euphrasia to marry, and whether it was before or after she entered the monastery. Regardless, the emperor commanded her to marry a certain wealthy senator. Euphrasia refused, gave up all her parents' property she had inherited upon the death of her mother.
The image featured today shows Euphrasia lifting heavy stones, which her abbess often assigned her for a penance, as manual labor was often used in monastic communities as a way to overcome temptations. Euphrasia died in the monastery at the age of thirty in 410.
St. Euphrasia of Constantinople, who as a young girl devoted her life entirely to God—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Euphrasia of Constantinople is in the public domain. Last accessed February 4, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.