Daily Gospel Reflection

Are You a Secret Disciple?

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. I'm Matthew Kelly. We're exploring the genius of the gospel, the genius of Jesus, and looking for ways to apply the gospel to our lives each day. It's Holy Saturday. This is the day without Jesus. Jesus is in the tomb, guarded by the Roman soldiers. And this is the day. Today's reading is from John 19:38-42. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him leave, so he came and took away his body.

Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes about 100 pounds weight. They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloth with spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden. And in the garden, a new tomb where no one had ever been laid. So because of the Jewish day of preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. I have great sympathy for Nicodemus and Joseph here. They had enormous positions in the Jewish community.

And they saw Jesus for who he was, but for some reason, we're unable to fully commit. And so were supporting him as secret disciples. And I get it. I can hear the head trash in their minds. I can hear the things they told themselves. I can hear the excuses they made for themselves. I can hear them saying, "Well, I might be able to be more help to him if I stay in the Sanhedrin than if I depart the Sanhedrin. If I depart the Sanhedrin, there'll be no voice for him in the Sanhedrin. Or if I give up this role or this authority or this respectful position, then I might not be able to help him as much as if I can hear it, I can see it, it's real."

And I think it happens in all of our lives. I think we are all, to some extent, at different times and in different circumstances, secret disciples of Jesus. I think we're all secret disciples of Jesus at different times in our lives, in different situations, secret disciples of Jesus. You look at your life in what way have you been a secret disciple of Jesus? And how did that work out? How did that work out?

Do you look back at that and have guilt, shame, remorse, regret? Or do you look back at that and say, "Oh, yeah, absolutely did the right thing." There may be a circumstance, I'm not saying there isn't, there may be a circumstance where that might be the case. But I think for the most part, when we choose to be secret disciples of Jesus, it comes from a fear, and it comes from a bodily fear. It comes from a worldly fear. And that fear is a fear to be overcome.

And so today, as we pray, to pray for the courage to be public disciples of Jesus, to be courageous and bold and public disciples of Jesus, especially when it matters most. God bless you. Have a wonderful day of reflection. And don't just be yourself, be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be.

One thing I did want to mention is, for the first time now, we're releasing a video every day based on the daily gospel. And so Lent will finish, and we have this Holy Week experience. And usually, our best Lent-ever videos would end this Sunday on Easter Sunday. But every day, the rest of the year, you're welcome to come back and enjoy this experience of looking at the daily gospel just for a word or a phrase or an idea to anchor our days. I hope you'll enjoy that and take advantage of that and share that with your family and friends.