First Reading - Ezekiel 37:21-28
Gospel - John 11:45-56
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the promise of a new covenant. This promise, proposed during the darkest days of the Babylonian exile, includes four key elements:
1. The LORD will reunite the two kingdoms—Israel and Judah—which had been divided after the death of Solomon.
2. The people will be cleansed of their wickedness and their failure to follow the LORD faithfully.
3. The LORD’s servant David will reign over them forever. Christians understand this to refer to Jesus, the descendant of David, whose Kingdom will never end.
4. The LORD, the sanctifier of Israel, will dwell with his people forever.
Perhaps nowhere else are the benefits of the new covenant so clearly outlined. This covenant is ultimately expressed at the Last Supper and sealed by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In the Gospel, God uses Caiaphas, the high priest, to prophesy the redemptive death of Jesus when he says: “It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” His words carry two layers of meaning. On one hand, Caiaphas meant that Jesus should be put to death to preserve political peace and avoid Roman intervention. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit meant that through Jesus’ death, the new Israel—the Church—would be formed, and that his death would bring salvation not only to Israel but also to “all the children of God scattered abroad.” The prophets had foretold this future assembly of the faithful, and Jesus’ death on the cross brought it to fulfillment, gathering believers from all nations into one body.
Dear friends, Jesus has united humanity into a single kingdom through his Paschal Mystery. The prophecy of Ezekiel, offering hope to exiled people, is fulfilled in Jesus, as even Caiaphas unwittingly foretells. Thus, today’s readings remind us of the communal dimension of our faith. Through Jesus, all believers are made one family, with him as the head. Any attempt to cause division or disunity within the Church stands in contradiction to our faith.
The readings also celebrate the Church as a communion of faith, united for a noble purpose: the salvation of humanity. Caiaphas' statement that “one must die to save all others” highlights the salvific nature of Jesus’ death. The community of believers is called to be a channel through which others may come to share in this salvation. For this reason, the Church is rightly called “missionary by nature.”
Let us pray that we may always preserve the unity of the Church.
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