Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 26, 2021
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.
In today’s gospel, the Jewish authorities accuse Jesus of blasphemy, saying he should be stoned to death for claiming to be God’s equal. Jesus says that if they refuse to accept him as the Son of God, then to still believe in the good work he has performed. But, despite his miracles, the Jewish people had hardness in their hearts and “hated him without a cause” (John 15:25). Why? Because they could not prove him wrong.
Jesus healed the sick and fed the hungry, yet was still challenged and doubted by the very witnesses of those miracles. What could it possibly take to convince the non believers that he is the Son of God? The more Jesus proved his deity, the stronger their bias became. To me, this gravely foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice Jesus is about to make and the resurrection that is about to come.
During this Lenten season, we are called to examine how we know that Jesus is the Son of God and not a blasphemous man. This calls for courage to explore how we are rejecting Christ in our daily lives and where we are falling short. I remember being a Freshman in McGlinn Hall and having my first-year meeting with our rector, Sister Mary. I told her I was trying to incorporate a morning meditation into my daily spiritual practice, but was frustrated with myself because I wasn’t making the time. “God honors your pursuit,” she said. These words echo back to me this Lenten season as we are reminded that actions are the best example of where our hearts lie. Whether it’s making the time for an early morning meditation or giving alms to those in need, we are called to put our Christ-like thoughts and words into action and know that God will honor our pursuit.
As we approach Holy week, Jesus calls us to put down our stones and open our hearts to the wonder of the Lord.
Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, the words of Jesus your Son scandalized some of those who first heard them, and he was accused of blasphemy. Centuries later, we still seek to live within the outlandishness of Christ’s promises—promises so deep and abiding that they conquer all sin and death. Make us fearless in proclaiming the truths that set us free. You live and reign forever and ever. 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.
