Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
March 24, 2021
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.”
I always have preferred the image of the God of love: the forgiving God, who is rich in kindness and slow to anger; the God of joy, eternally floating on a fluffy cloud.
That is not the image of Jesus in today’s gospel. This is a somewhat heated discourse between Jesus and the religious leaders, and, at first, I didn’t know what to make of this reading. It shows that Jesus is slow to anger, but he still can get there eventually.
What here tests that slowness to anger? Well, it took some research, but, among other things, the religious leaders personally insult him, his mother, and his birth. When they say, “We were not born of fornication,” they are indicating that they are the legitimate spiritual children of Abraham, not the descendants of Israel’s religious infidelities through worshipping the gods of other peoples. But it is also possible that they directed that remark at Jesus personally, referencing the unusual circumstances of his birth.
That made me think: What do we do that insults Jesus? Certainly, I hope we would not insult the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady (Notre Dame!).
But, just as certainly, we—or at least I—do plenty to test God’s slowness to anger. These may not be extreme insults, like that from the religious leaders in today’s gospel. But even the “lesser” insults in our lives are insults all the same. For instance, I’m most sad when I recognize in the moment that I’ve taken for granted life’s gifts, like those closest to me.
Let’s not test that slowness to anger. Every day, let’s embrace the God of love, the God of joy. And let’s be grateful for the blessing of God’s unconditional mercy and forgiveness, when we regrettably do make some insult—whether “lesser” or otherwise.
Prayer
Almighty and ever living God, we offer you praise and thanksgiving for you sent your Son, Jesus, to set us free. May we, your children, make room for your saving Word made flesh. May the truth of His love and mercy embolden us to bear His name and truly serve as His disciples, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
On October 14, 2018, Pope Francis canonized seven new saints of the Church, one of whom was the much-loved Archbishop Óscar Romero, long honored as a saint and martyr by the people of El Salvador. In standing with the marginalized and standing up to those who use their power to abuse and oppress the poor among the children of God, even at the cost of his life, Óscar Romero truly embodied Christ's words in John's Gospel: "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13).
Óscar Romero was born on August 15, 1917, in Cuidad Barrios, El Salvador. The young Óscar attended the local public school from grades 1-3, and then studied under a tutor, as the public school offered no further education. His father trained Óscar as a carpenter, and, while Óscar was quite adept as a carpenter's apprentice, he wanted to become a priest. Thus, Óscar entered the minor seminary in San Miguel at the age of thirteen, and then the national seminary in San Salvador after his graduation.
Óscar attended the Gregorian University in Rome, completing his studies cum laude at the age of twenty-four, one year too young to be ordained a priest. Accordingly, Óscar was ordained a year later, on April 4, 1942, in the thick of World War II. Óscar obtained another degree in theology, and then, once called back by his bishops, he returned home to El Salvador at the age of twenty-six.
Óscar was assigned to a parish and quickly gained a reputation for his care for the imprisoned and the poor, and his beautiful, impassioned sermons. In 1970, Óscar was appointed an auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, then, in 1974, he was appointed the bishop of the Diocese of Santiago de María, a rural diocese.
On February 23, 1977, Óscar was appointed archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador's capital. Many wealthy members of the city's elite were pleased that Óscar, a Roman-trained, conservative bishop, had been appointed. As Marxist-infused liberation theology was growing in popularity throughout Latin America, those in power feared being ousted. But, to their chagrin, very soon after his appointment, the new Archbishop Romero's theological and political ideas underwent a rapid transformation. On March 12, 1977, Archbishop Romero's dear friend Rutilio Grande, himself a Catholic priest, was cruelly murdered by government thugs. Grande had been living in solidarity with the rural poor and speaking out against the military government. Grande’s death was a watershed moment for Archbishop Romero, as he realized that being a Catholic and being a priest meant standing with the poor and being a prophet against the establishment. Archbishop Romero ordered three days of mourning and a funeral mass in San Salvador's cathedral, despite advice to the contrary from those who feared government repercussions.
The rise to power of the Revolutionary Government Junta in 1979 led to increasing violence across the country, which would eventually become over twelve years of fighting. This escalating violence of the Salvadorean Civil War began to tear the country at the seams. Throughout the civil unrest, Archbishop Romero called for peace, held accountable the governments that were financing the violence, and criticized the Salvadorean government for its persecution of the Catholic Church. In his homily at Mass on March 23, the day before he died, Archbishop Romero rebuked the Salvadorean army for its violence against the citizens of El Salvador: “In the name of God, and in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I beg you, I implore you, I order you, in the name of God, stop the repression!”
Óscar Romero was murdered on March 24, 1980, while consecrating the Eucharist during Mass. His last words were a prayer for mercy for his assassin. Despite the danger of attending the funeral, thousands of Salvadorans attended his funeral Mass, even as the army fired into the congregation. His assassin has never been brought to justice.
Pope Francis beatified Óscar Romero in May 2015 in San Salvador. A crowd of more than 250,000 gathered to pay their respects to Archbishop Romero. Óscar Romero was canonized on October 14, 2018 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Saint Óscar Romero, bishop, martyr, and prophetic voice for the people of God—pray for us!
To learn even more about Saint Óscar Romero, watch this video lecture from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Óscar Romero is in the public domain. Last accessed March 25, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
.jpg){kind=link}