Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Today’s reading from the gospel of John recalls the words of the high priest Caiaphas, who noted that it would be better if one man die for the nation instead of the whole nation. According to the gospel, 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. Here, John recalls that the salvation of Christ is for all men and women. Jesuit missionaries, in their description of foreign lands and different peoples, noted that various peoples may have different customs and ways of living that would not match the norms of 17th-century Paris. However, the Jesuits were quick to note, often citing this passage, that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was for all men and women and that this created a family of which all persons are a part. This understanding of the dignity of the human person, the human person made in the image and likeness of God and redeemed by Christ, is the foundation on which the Catholic Church builds its edifice of social teaching.