Reflections on the Gospel Reading for the Day
Jesus has come to serve, not to be served. How about us?
Today’s Gospel from John begins as Jesus had just finished washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus then said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (Jn 13:16). Jesus not only taught the truth that God the Father sent his Son to serve and not be served, he modeled this practice consistently.
From his conception, gestation, and birth, the Son of God developed as a human being in the very simplest of conditions and endured the hardships of those on the margins. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were most likely ostracized because of the circumstances of Jesus’ conception. The census was a good opportunity to get of Nazareth. And then when the time came there was no room or hospitality so Jesus was born in a cave. Very soon after his birth, the young family was forced to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. When Herod the Great died they returned to Nazareth, and other than the incident when he remained in the Temple while Jospeh and Mary left him, we hear nothing about the life of Jesus until he begins his public ministry. The most likely reason for this was that there was nothing to tell. Jesus most likely apprenticed with Joseph, in the trade of a simple tektōn, a woodworker, which was pretty low on the rung of the social ladder.
Through the short time of his ministry, Jesus modeled for his disciples what a follower was and what it meant to be one of his successors. To follow in his footsteps they would need to participate in servant leadership, which is really authentic leadership as Jesus lived it. He not only taught them but lived and modeled that there is no task too menial that we can’t roll up our sleeves and dive in and help. There is no person too other that we can’t assist when they are in need.
In this act of washing the feet, Jesus also revealed something deeper. The depth of his love for the apostles and each of us. The Son was willing to come close, to become one with us in our humanity, to be in solidarity with us even in our sin by participating in John’s baptism of repentance, even though he was free of sin. He then took upon himself the sin of the world on the cross. In the washing of the apostle’s feet, he also showed the depth of his love in caring for them in such a menial way. Another foreshadowing of the depths of his love in his willingness to give his life in a humiliating and horrific way for all of humanity in willing to be crucified.
Jesus, fully divine, did not grasp at his divinity or lord it over anyone. He was willing to be baptized even though he was free of sin, washed the feet of his apostles even though he was their master and teacher, and he was willing to experience crucifixion and death even as the Messiah. In each of these acts, Jesus reveals the full gift of himself, holding nothing back. Jesus encouraged his apostles and is encouraging us with every breath, thought, word, and action to love each other as he has loved us.
A good prayer and meditation for us today is to ask Jesus to reveal for us how we have resisted his urgings in the past regarding serving and loving others as well as when we have refused to interact or treat someone with anything less than the basic human dignity which they deserved which is to love each other, to will each other’s good. Have we ever thought that what he was asking of us was beneath us? Have there been people we have kept at arm’s length or refused to reach out to? For those ways in which we have withdrawn within ourselves and refused to be of help may we ask for his forgiveness.
Are we willing to allow Jesus to wash our feet, to heal our wounds, and forgive our sins? If so, then having been washed, healed, forgiven and loved, may we be more willing to share what we have received from Jesus. May we be more open to each of the people and/or tasks that God asks us to engage in, the discernment to know his will, and the clarity and courage to act as his servant with humility, with love, and without hesitation.
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Painting: “The washing of the disciples’ feet” by Ghislaine Howard
Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, April 30, 2026
May we allow the light of Jesus to shine in our darkness.
“I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness” (Jn 12:46).
What might be the darkness that Jesus refers to? It could be anything that turns us within ourselves, that turns us away from that which is True, Good, and Beautiful. Anyone or anything that turns us away from God. God has created humanity and all of creation out of the abundance of his love. Through sin, suffering and the good God has created, has been corrupted and darkened. We as well as the world has been wounded but not destroyed, nor is the damage so far gone that we are doomed. Prejudice, ignorance, cynicism, sin, violence, hatred, war, division, dehumanization, and destruction reign, but the darkness cannot stand up to the light. The darkness has not nor ever will overcome the light. Jesus invites us to make a choice to feed on the darkness or the receive the light.
Jesus has come and continues to be present in our lives to invite us to heal. Each and every one of us is important to him. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows the darkness that is within, the places we may not want to even face. The wounds, the hurt, the grief and suffering, the pain, and our sin. Jesus invites us gently to trust him and allow his light to shine into these places, not to shame and condemn us, but to love us there and lead us to freedom.
Jesus encourages us to leave our self imposed imprisonment by loving us as we are, more than we can imagine, and more than we can ever mess up. Christianity is not just a set of moral principles, a set of doctrines, a philosophy, or a theology. Christianity is about an encounter with a person, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, who invites us to be loved and to love in return. When we allow ourselves to feel safe with Jesus as a person who cares and has our best interest in mind, we can begin to trust him and experience his love and healing. The wonder of his gentle light is that we can see more clearly where we buy into the lies and deceptions of the enemy.
When we allow the light of Jesus into our hearts and minds, we can choose between the darkness and the light, evil and good, pride and humility. The light of Jesus leads and invites us to experience that which we have been created and are restless for – an intimate relationship with God the Father and each other. Through the light of his love, Jesus reveals to us those apparent goods, false substitutes, and idols that distract us and keep us separated from deepening our relationship with God. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus and his Father, we experience the love of the Holy Spirit and are moved to share his love with each other.
Jesus, in this moment, help us to take some slow deep breaths. Help us to be still. Help us to receive and experience your love. Help us to see where we are reactive, where triggers are engaging past wounds in need of healing, and what are the apparent goods we are attached to that are leading us away from spending time to be able to be still right now, right here with you. May we rest and abide here in your love so to experience the reality of your presence, and help us to come back to spend time with you tomorrow as well so that we come to believe that your light is greater than any darkness we may face, that you are with us, and that we know we are loved.
Photo: Breathing, receiving, resting, and abiding in God’s love.
Link for the Mass readings for Wednesday, April 29, 2026
“Jesus walks with us. Always.”
Jesus continues to present the imagery of the shepherd in today’s Gospel reading from John. He offers the assurance of security and protection that is to be found for those that are in his fold when he says, “No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:28-30). How does one enter the fold of the Good Shepherd? All who hear his voice, believe in, and follow him will be known by him, come to know him, and so be a part of his flock.
Yet, there are those who hear his voice and do not recognize the Shepherd. They do not follow him and so are not known by him, although he seeks them out. They may know about the Shepherd, have heard of him, but do not know him. Their hearts and minds are closed. They do not believe in his miracles, his exorcisms, his teachings, and the question of those opposing him in today’s reading is, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (Jn 10:24). Jesus did just that by saying that he and the Father are one. The response to the forthright comment of Jesus is that those who are closed to his answer pick up rocks to throw at him (see Jn 10:31).
Jesus offers the gift of relationship with him and his Father, to experience the love shared between them, the Holy Spirit. Jesus offers eternal life. Jesus is open about who he is, who we are, and who we can become in participation with him. Those who say no to his invitation do so for their own reasons. Just as Jesus invites us to freely come to him, he will only come so far as we are willing to receive him. He does not conform to us or to our will. Jesus does not need us nor does he force his will upon us, yet he loves us by willing our ultimate good. He is willing to risk that we will walk away, but he continues to be close and ready for when we turn back.
Even many of us who have said yes, only go so far. We hedge our bets, dip our toes into the water, and maybe go in ankle-deep, but not too many of us are willing to relinquish control, let go, and surrender fully all at once. Jesus offers, eternal life, true, but also a life of meaning and fulfillment now. A perfect life? No, there will continue to be challenges, conflicts, mistakes, and missteps. There will be suffering, pain, and heartache. All the while, Jesus’ voice continues to call us to follow him, to trust him, and seek safety and healing from our anxieties, fears, wounds, weakness, and sins. Our safety is truly in Jesus, because he is eternal and unchanging.
Jesus empowers us to face our conflicts and resistances, and as we grow in our trust in him, we can feel safe to let go of our control and defense mechanisms, and become more disciplined in resisting temptations and apparent goods. Through all our experiences, the ups and downs, the only assurance is that we are not alone. No matter what we may face today or tomorrow, we can be assured that Jesus will never let us go and no one can take us out of his hand. Each step of the journey we take, we can be confident that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will be there to guide and protect us as he leads us to experience deeper intimacy with him, his Father, and the Holy Spirit.
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Painting: Accessed on Amazon.com wall art
Resist the thief and hired hand, trust only the Good Shepherd and follow his voice.
“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me” (John 10:14).
Jesus, distinguished himself as the Good Shepherd who cared for his sheep instead of “thieves and robbers” who sought to harm the sheep. Nor is Jesus simply a “hired man” who has no personal investment in the flock and will abandon the flock at the mere sighting of a wolf. In referencing, “thieves and robbers and hired men” Jesus continued his calling out those Pharisees from chapter nine. Those who did not listen to his voice and those who were not leading God’s sheep with care.
The imagery of the shepherds is an echo back to past abuses such as in the time of Ezekiel who spoke out against those leaders who had “been pasturing themselves”, and who failed to “strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured”. Thus the sheep of God’s flock, “were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts. They were scattered and wandered over all the mountains and high hills; over the entire surface of the earth my sheep were scattered. No one looked after them or searched for them” (Ezekiel 34:2-10).
God, the eternal Shepherd, spoke through Ezekiel and said: “I will take my sheep out of their hand and put a stop to their shepherding my flock, so that these shepherds will no longer pasture them” (Ezekiel 34:10). Jesus is the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Jesus is the Son who God his Father sent to do just that. Jesus has come to gather the lost sheep and bring them to green pastures, and lead them with his voice to eternal life.
Even today, we have experienced so much abuse of power and corruption, self-seeking and self-aggrandizement, that we are weary and have lost faith in our leaders and institutions. Yet, all is not lost. Jesus is still among his flock and calling his sheep to himself. Let us not be deaf to the call of the Good Shepherd because of the “robbers and thieves” and “hired men” that have abused or abandoned the sheep.
Let us listen only for the voice of the Good Shepherd. We learn to know and identify his voice when we make the time to be still and listen. When we resist the temptation to run away or react out of fear. When we resist impulsive responses or seek immediate gratification, and are instead patient and trust in the voice of the Good Shepherd who has our best interest and intentions in mind and will care for us. Jesus will not harm us, because he loves us.
We may have been wounded or hurt when we have gone astray or even when we thought we were safe in the sheep pen. We can trust Jesus when he seeks to come close. Unlike the hired hand who will bolt at the first sign of trouble, Jesus is willing to stand with us and give his life for us. When wounded, his healing may initially provide an increase in pain and suffering for a time, as healing often does before we get better, but as we remain close to him, his healing balm will prevail. We will experience forgiveness, healing, renewal, and wholeness.
Jesus loves us, knows us, and calls each one of us by name. Mary Magdalene, in her grief, didn’t recognize Jesus when she met him after his resurrection, but when he called her by name she recognized his voice. May we, like Mary, remain still long enough, no matter the cause of our suffering, so that we can allow the Good Shepherd to come close and listen for his voice amidst the cacophony of so many other voices, robbers, and hired hands. Being patient and only moving with the Good Shepherd when he calls our name. Each time we follow his lead, we will grow in greater intimacy and unity with him.
Photo: Allowing ourselves to be quiet and still helps us to distinguish between the voices that seek to distract, divert, and tempt us away from the voice of Jesus who seeks to lead us to experience his love and peace.
Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 27, 2026
May we allow ourselves to rest and be cared for by Jesus our shepherd.
I am not sure how many people reading this reflection are shepherds, live on a farm, or raise sheep. Many of us are most likely removed from the daily life and commitment of a shepherd. With such ignorance as our starting point, we can fall prey to a false romanticism of the life of a shepherd as a reaction to the fast pace and hustle and bustle of modern urban and suburban life. The commitment and demands of shepherds during Jesus’ time were demanding and all-consuming, with little acknowledgment or recognition. In fact, many shepherds were looked down upon, and groveling at the bottom of the social class of ancient Palestine. Yet Jesus compared himself to being a shepherd.
Just scratching the surface of the social context of shepherds could help to shed light on John’s Gospel today where Jesus paints an image of himself as a shepherd who when he calls his sheep they hear and recognize his voice so they follow him. the sheep hear his voice, “the shepherd calls his own sheep by name” (Jn 10:3).
Jesus is not just a shepherd, but the good shepherd. Good shepherds lived among their sheep, watched over them, cared for them, helped to birth and raise them, as well as was willing to protect them with his life from predators and thieves. Though we may not be fond of being compared to sheep, Jesus does the same for us. He watches, cares for, protects, nourishes us with his own Body and Blood, and has given his life for us. Jesus calls us by name. Imagine that. Really, ponder all the billions of human beings that have, exist now, and will ever exist, and Jesus knows each one of us by name. Are we willing to listen and come to him.
We can get in trouble when we stray from his protective care and wander away. Yet, just as a sheep baas and bleats, so the Good Shepherd is always close to hear when we call. Each one of us is precious and important to him. We just need to remember that truth and reach out to him daily and more importantly stay close to him. Yet, no matter how far we may find ourselves astray, he will come to us and will carry us back home on his shoulders.
I invite you to spend some quiet time with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, today. With the humility and simplicity of a lamb, allow yourself to rest your head on his lap, surrender to him all your cares, doubts, anxieties, and fears. Allow your self to feel the comforting weight of his hand and so be healed by confessing any sins that are weighing you down. Let him impart some healing balm on past hurts left unforgiven, and let him bind up any recent wounds. At some point in your contemplation, also let soak in the ultimate gift this shepherd gave: his life for each one of us that we might have life in him. A life not merely to exist or survive, but a life of joy, fulfillment, and wholeness.
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Photo: Some quiet time resting with my Lord and my Shepherd.
Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, April 26, 2026
Having beheld and received Jesus, may we go forth to serve him in one another.
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). Jesus is once again claiming who he is: Kyrios – Lord. The word, gospel, comes from the Greek word, euangelion, meaning good news, but the one who proclaimed “good news” during the time of Jesus was the emperor. Caesar would send his emissaries to announce such good news as a great victory or his birthday. What Mark conveys in the very first line and here at the ending of his Gospel, is that Jesus is Lord! Not Kaiser Kyrios, Caesar is Lord, but Jesus Kyrios, Jesus is Lord!!!
We receive Jesus our Lord in an intimate way in the Eucharist. We receive his Body and Blood. We are loved and transformed by him each time we receive him by consuming him as we have been reviewing these past few days with Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. When we are dismissed from Mass, one of the dismissal lines is, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” This is to echo the command of Jesus for all of us to proclaim the Gospel in our everyday experiences and encounters.
We proclaim the Gospel first and foremost by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. He has risen! He has risen indeed! He is the firstborn of the new creation. This is something to get excited about, something to fill us with joy. We are not to be a Grumpy Gus People, but an Alleluia People!!! Once we remind ourselves what we believe, who we believe in, who we are, and whose we belong to, then we are better prepared to engage with others.
The most powerful witness we can offer is when we seek opportunities to act, speak about and engage others with respect, caring, and joy. When we catch the eye of another offer a smile. We can also say hello, a nod of our head, or offer a wave, fist bump, high five, or a hug. We also need to be aware of other’s boundaries and respect their space at the same time. If someone is not open, we need to respect their posture, and meet them where they are.
Reaching out to others to acknowledge their dignity and value is the simplest, yet most profound way to spread the Gospel, which really means to share the love of Jesus by willing their good. We are to accept and accompany others as Jesus does with the purpose of building relationships. We are more inviting when we are willing to be patient, gracious, and willing to listen and hear in our interactions with each person we meet and in doing so we may begin to understand each other a little better.
Remember God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason because it is better to listen first and speak second. As we encounter others, we are to also remember the common courtesy of saying please, thank you, and I forgive you, whether in a store, restaurant, bank, convenience store, on the sidewalk, in traffic, or online. It is just as important to engage in a similar fashion with those of our family, friends, and those closest to us.
Especially now, with our country and the world on edge and more anxious than ever, believing in Jesus, embracing his love, and putting into practice small actions with great love we can make a difference. As Pope Leo said in his homily on Holy Thursday: “Christ offers us the example of self-giving, service and love. We need his example to learn how to love, not because we are incapable of it, but precisely to teach ourselves and one another what true love is. Learning to act like Jesus — the living sign that God has placed within the history of the world — is the work of a lifetime.”
Photo: Pope Leo XIV celebrating Mass Holy Thursday Evening (@Vatican Media)
Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, April 25, 2026
“The source and summit of the Christian life.”
All that Jesus has been building up to is now coming to a climax. Any silent shock of disbelief or quiet murmuring has now escalated. The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat” (Jn 6:52)? Jesus hears the growing concern and disbelief. If he was speaking in a figurative or symbolic way, this would be the moment to clarify his point.
Jesus does speak, but he does not walk back or qualify his comments. Jesus doubles down: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you” (Jn 6:53). Jesus does not only repeat that his disciples are to eat his Flesh but he also insists that they are to drink his Blood. Drinking or even eating meat with the blood of an animal was inconceivable for devout Jews. Also, the Greek used here in John’s Gospel for eat is trogein, which is used to describe how an animal eats, by gnawing and tearing at the flesh. The imagery that Jesus is using here is more graphic than the customary use of phagein, which would be used for chewing, as a human would chew their food.
Jesus continues to make his point that whoever does eat his Flesh and drink his Blood, will not only remain in him, but also Jesus will remain in them, and they will have eternal life. A wonderful end goal, but would any be able to make the leap of faith to get there? In tomorrow’s Gospel reading we will be able to see the response to Jesus’ claims.
Almost two thousand years later, we continue to have the opportunity to celebrate daily the person of Jesus in our midst. This happens through participating in “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324), the Mass. Our hearts have the opportunity to be set on fire, as Cleopas and his companion, as we hear the word proclaimed during the Liturgy of the Word, and then Jesus is made known to us in the breaking of the bread in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We are invited to experience an intimate encounter with the Son of God, as we consume him, Body, Soul, and Divinity.
That we eat the Flesh and Blood of Jesus may sound just as bizarre as it did to Jesus’ followers. The term we have for this miraculous transformation of bread and wine is transubstantiation. What happens at the calling down of the Holy Spirit and the words of institution which are invoked by the priest is that the substance, the reality, of the bread and wine is transfigured into the Body and Blood of Jesus, while the accidental form, or appearance, remains the same. So we consume Jesus’ unbloody, acceptable sacrifice. We consume his glorified body that has transcended the three dimensional realm as we know it.
Jesus is giving all of who he is corporally, holding nothing back of himself so that we receive all of him – Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The miracle does not stop there because in the receiving of Jesus’ fullness in the appearance of bread and wine, we also become divinized through our participation in his life as he permeates our whole being. We receive eternal life! This takes the saying, we are what we eat, to a whole new level.
This gift we get to then share. We are dismissed at the end of the Mass to go, like Mary, to bear Jesus Christ, to love others as Jesus loved us. In seeing and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, we better see him in each other and are then inspired to serve one another. For what we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus (cf. Mt 25:40). Jesus is risen, he has risen indeed. We are not alone. Jesus remains with us now and for all ages, most intimately in the Eucharist! We are alive and given eternal life, because the Bread of Life lives within and among us! Amen. Alleluia!
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Painting: “Christ with the Host”, by Paolo de San Leocadio
Link for the Mass readings for Friday, April 24, 2026
“the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”
Those in the crowd who Jesus is speaking are those who experienced his multiplication of the loaves and fish. Step by systematic and deliberate step, Jesus is setting the stage for today’s insertion into his presentation.
Jesus begins slowly, but with each successive addition, he is not willing to be tamed. He came, the One from above, the One who has seen and has been sent by the Father, is fully divine, as well as fully human, to speak the truth to those who have come. He has responded to the people’s request regarding how they were to “accomplish the works of God” (see John 6:28-29) and his response is that they are to believe in him, he who had been sent by God. They were to “work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give” (John 6:27). Jesus with the multiplication of the loaves and fish provided for those who were hungry in the moment. He provided physical nourishment. He is now moving from satisfying physical needs, to how he will provide food that will endure for eternal life. Jesus shared that he is this food, the bread from heaven, that will give life to the world.
What Jesus shared thus far and what he shares in today’s Gospel message has been given to him to say from his Father and is for everyone who is willing to accept his invitation: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). We have an advantage, that those listening to Jesus, did not have. We just experienced Lent and we can certainly draw a line to how Jesus certainly does give his very life, his flesh, that is sacrificed and hung on the cross. Jesus died and experienced utter God forsakenness by giving his very life for the life the world.
But for those in the crowd who only the day before sought to unanimously make him their Messiah by popular acclamation are, with each word expressed by Jesus, growing a bit more uncomfortable. This discourse is moving away from what might have initially appeared to be a figurative discussion to a more dramatic and concrete presentation with horrific implications. After an initial gasp or two, some murmuring started to circulate, maybe centering around such questions as:
“Did Jesus really just say he would give us his flesh?”
“Jesus is equating himself with the bread from heaven, and the bread he is offering is his flesh?”
“Is Jesus saying what I think he is saying?”
Yes! Jesus stated clearly that he is the Bread of Life, and this Bread is his very Flesh. Beyond and before time, the Father has given all that he is, holding nothing back, emptying himself into the Son. The Son has received all that the Father is and returns himself, giving all that he is, holding nothing back, to the Father. This eternal giving and receiving, this eternal communion of Love shared between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is offering his listeners and continues to offer us today participation in this perichoresis, this divine dance of infinite communion. Jesus offers all that he is to be consumed.
Just as Jesus gave all of himself on the cross, he gives all of himself, holding nothing back in his glorified Body present in the Eucharist. We are invited not only to receive all that Jesus is, we are also invited to give ourselves away in return. As we receive, we become who we eat. We are transformed by the love of Jesus’ presence in our being as we consume him so that we to, as Jesus did, give of ourselves to serve others.
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Photo of the Rose Window from the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Spiritual Stepping Stones 