Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 26, 2020
Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth.
“Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
“But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.
“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God?
“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?”
“All that we call history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” —CS Lewis
Until about three years ago, I was afraid to go “all in” with the Lord. I was afraid that if I really said “yes” to God, if I truly sought God’s will above all else, the Lord would surely call me to do something that would make me miserable, or take away something or someone I couldn’t live without.
While I’ve been a faithful practicing Catholic since childhood, I always kept the Lord at arm’s length. I didn’t really believe that God could satisfy my deepest longings. And so I searched for peace and joy outside of God—in relationships, in affirmation from my students and colleagues, in the acquisition of more and more stuff, in the endless pursuit of physical and moral perfection…none of which was ever enough.
Like the Pharisees and scribes addressed in today’s Gospel, I refused to come to Jesus to have life. I knew intellectually that he was the only one who could satisfy me and yet I was bound by fear and Satan’s lies. It took some serious emotional and psychological turmoil to bring me to the point where I was finally willing to say, “Okay, Lord. I’ve tried everything else, and it’s never enough. I’m not enough. No one else is enough. I’ll take the risk and seek my life in you.”
Not surprisingly, the Lord showed up in a big way, and slowly but surely began to dispel my fears. I experienced firsthand what Pope Benedict XVI testified to in his first homily: “Christ takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ—and you will find true life.”
As Lent comes to a close, let us renew our resolve to refuse to give into fear and instead to go courageously to the Lord for what we most desire, with the confidence that in God we will never be disappointed.
Prayer
Lord Jesus: John testified to you. Your works testify to you. The Father has testified on your behalf. And Moses wrote about you. “But you do not want to come to me to have life,” you said to the people. Lord Jesus, I want to come to you. May my Lenten observance show me the way. Amen.
Saint of the Day
On March 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation. March 25, however, is also listed as the feast day of St. Dismas, who was the good thief crucified with Jesus. Today we offer a small biography of St. Dismas as we meditate upon and ask for God's mercy.
The only substantial record we have of this man comes from the Gospel of Luke (other Gospels note that Jesus was crucified between two revolutionaries, but do not elaborate). As Luke tells us, Jesus was crucified with two thieves. As they hung on the cross, one taunted Jesus along with the crowd, telling him, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other thief rebuked him, saying, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”Jesus told him, “This day you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
The Christian community took seriously Jesus’ words here that this good thief was saved, and honors him as a saint. Dismas’ response to Jesus is a good articulation of steps in conversion away from sin: he came to an honest awareness of his sin and turned away from it, seeking Jesus as the source of eternal life.
Like other personalities close to the story of Jesus, we know little about Dismas. The Christian community constructed a story to fill in this gap, including his name—in some traditions, he is known as Titus or Zoathan. The most popular name, Dismas, was adopted from the Greek word for “sunset” or “death,” and began to be used in stories dating from the fourth century. One legend says that Dismas and his fellow thief held up Joseph and Mary when they were fleeing to Egypt with the child Jesus. Dismas is said to have been moved to compassion and bribed his companion to let the Holy Family pass safely.
The relics of St. Dismas rest in the reliquary chapel, including a piece of Dismas’ cross.
The Dismas House in South Bend is named after this good thief, and is a halfway house for men recently released from jail. The house is a community partner with the Institute for Social Concerns, and Notre Dame students volunteer there to support former prisoners who are adjusting to life after incarceration. Residents of Keenan Hall have cooked dinner at Dismas House one night a week during the academic year since it opened in 1986.
St. Dismas, the good thief who received Christ's mercy at the hour of death—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Dismas is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
