Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 15, 2026
God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
There are few Bible verses more notorious than this one. John 3:16 can be found written on the eye-black of football players during a big game, tattooed on the bodies of people around the world, and inscribed on giant signs wielded by men and women proclaiming God’s Word in the streets. But why this verse? Out of 66 books and over 30,000 verses, what makes this verse so special?
I think the answer is beautifully simple: God loves us. God loves us enough to send Jesus to die so that we may have eternal life. God made this tremendous sacrifice, a sacrifice that any parent would shudder to comprehend, and all God asks in return is that we believe.
The second half of the verse alludes to the wickedness of those who prefer darkness to the light, which is all too prevalent in the world today. We see a world torn apart by war, people valuing machines and materials over their fellow human beings, and an overall disregard for universal human virtue for the sake of relativistic morality that frequently falls short of God’s Word.
Yet, through all this, we can be sure that God loves us. When we see the darkness on the news or in the streets, God loves us. When it seems difficult to find hope in our personal lives, God loves us. When the world doesn’t seem to make sense through all the chaos and brutality, John 3:16 reminds us that God loves us unconditionally. We just need to trust in that love.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we have done many things that we are ashamed of, things that we would prefer be kept hidden. Yet we also need to remember that no sin is greater than your love for us. So please grant us the courage to stop hiding and come out into the light of your forgiveness and mercy. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Anastasia and a friend, Basilissa, were Roman noblewomen who were converted to the faith when they heard the preaching of Sts. Peter and Paul.
When Peter and Paul were killed, these two women removed their bodies at night and provided for their burial. The authorities discovered their actions, and they were arrested and thrown into prison. When they were brought before the court, they acknowledged their faith without fear and were martyred.
The relics of St. Anastasia rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus.
St. Anastasia, you were the Roman martyr who was converted by Peter and Paul—pray for us!