Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 29, 2023
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.”
Deep in this season of Lent, this passage challenges me to consider how my faith is lived out in action. We read that Jesus is speaking to a group who believed his earlier teaching about his divinity. Rather than stop at belief, though, Jesus exhorts his listeners to continue to follow his teachings: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples.”
His words echo the opening verses of this Gospel in which John writes that the Word, which was with God in the beginning, became flesh. Jesus, as the embodied Word of God, unites truth with lived reality and becomes a model for the life he encourages his listeners to lead. Belief isn’t the ending point; it’s the starting point, the foundation to live a life modeled after the Word.
But Jesus’s listeners have a hard time with this appeal. They insist that because they are descendants of Abraham, they are on the right spiritual track. Instead, Jesus, though also a descendant of Abraham, points his listeners to a higher parentage: God.
Ultimately, the freedom that comes with following his teachings is realized in being a child of God who will remain forever in God’s household. What Jesus said to his audience then is true today, leaving us with the question of what it means to live in light of that truth.
As we continue to pray, fast, and wait for the promise of Easter, may we also continue in God’s word, considering how the refrain that began this season—“Remember that from dust you came and to dust you shall return.”—reminds us of our earthly heritage and points us towards our heavenly inheritance through the Word himself.
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
As bishop, St. Ludolph conformed his life to what he believed to be true, and suffered greatly for those convictions. Though he was not killed for his faith, he is honored as a martyr for the persecution he bore on account of his beliefs.
He was elected bishop of Ratzeburg, Germany, in 1236, but continued to live like a monk. He expanded the Church in his diocese, founding convents and deepening the practice of the faith. This work and his efforts defending the Church caused conflict with the duke, who had Ludolph imprisoned, beaten, and finally banished.
He died in exile around 1250 from the effects of the harsh treatment he received.
St. Ludolph, who suffered for defending the Church and spreading the faith—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Ludolph is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
