Better for you that one man should die
Once, two boys who were up for expulsion had committed a serious offense. They put the blame on a classmate, Dominic. The teacher severely scolded the boy who just bowed his head in silence. The next day, the truth came out, and the teacher, regretting his reproof of Dominic, asked him why he did not defend himself. Dominic answered that he feared that the guilty ones were in danger of being expelled while he hoped to be forgiven, for it was his first offense, and added, “I also remembered that Our Lord had been unjustly accused.” This was St.
Dominic Savio.
This incident mirrors what our Gospel says about Jesus: the death of one man that the nation may not perish. When this was expressed by Caiaphas, he meant that the death of Jesus— who was becoming popular— would stop the Romans from usurping their land, and they would have peace. But the high priest did not know that his words had a deeper sense, that the death of Jesus was the salvation of the people.
Responsorial Psalm • Jeremiah 31
“The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock.”
GOSPEL • John 11:45-56
Many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing, nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” He did not say this on his own, but since he was high priest for that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. So from that day on they planned to kill him.
So Jesus no longer walked about in public among the Jews, but he left for the region near the desert, to a town called Ephraim, and there he remained with his disciples.
Now the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before Passover to purify themselves. They looked for Jesus and said to one another as they were in the temple area, “What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?”
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.