Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for April 14, 2026
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s Tuesday, April 14th. I’m coming to you from the Bethany Retreat Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, where we’re having some meetings with the diocesan directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies throughout the southeast region of the United States. In today’s gospel, Jesus continues the conversation he began yesterday with Nicodemus, that fearful disciple who came to him by night. And Jesus was explaining to him about the sacrament of baptism. The Easter season is a season in which we’re supposed to be living out our baptism fully together with our newly baptized brothers and sisters who became Catholics at the Easter Vigil. And in today’s gospel, Jesus began with what he finished yesterday, saying that the Holy Spirit blows where he wills. You don’t know where he’s coming from or where he’s go. So it is with everyone born of the spirit. And Nicodemus protested, “How can I understand this?” And Jesus says, “I was explaining to you meteorological things that you don’t know really what’s driving the wind if you don’t accept that because you’re resistant. You’re asking so many questions rather than just listening and receiving as well as you can.” He says, “How are you going to understand spiritual things?” And then he gets into one of the most important spiritual things of all. He talks about his own upcoming crucifixion. He had said we have to be born again from above. And the way we’re going to be born again from above is when Jesus is lifted up. He says just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert to be able to heal all those who had been bitten by the serpent of serpents in the desert, the serpents a sign of sin going all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden. that they looked at the poison of sin imaged by that bronze serpent lifted up on a pole and they saw their sinfulness and that was the way God was able to open them to his mercy. The mercy of healing them but the mercy he was prophesying by that whole action. And Jesus would be lifted up on Calvary like that sarif serpent mounted on a pole so that anybody who looked at Jesus crucified would be able to see the impact of our sins that our sins led to his crucifixion. But just like those Israelites in the desert be able to cry out for mercy that when Jesus would be lifted up when his side would be pierced and outflowed blood and water that would be the source of the sacramental life of the church. That would ultimately be what makes baptism capable of delivering on what it promises. Literally washing us totally clean from sin, making us a child of the kingdom, a child of God the father, a child of Christ the king by the power of this Holy Spirit that Jesus has been talking about. This is ultimately what the missionaries try to do throughout the world. Take this mystic goji, take these sacraments beginning in baptism, taking the life to which it leads out so that everybody can cheer in it. As we continue throughout this Easter season, let us give God thanks for the gift of our baptism. And let’s pray for the 5.5 billion all across the world that hasn’t that haven’t been baptized, that haven’t come to enter into God’s kingdom yet. We exist to try to bring Christ to them and them to Christ so that together we can all be lifted up with Christ in this world and with him forever.
God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based on:
Gospel
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus answered and said to him,
‘How can this happen?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen,
but you people do not accept our testimony.
If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
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