It's a
Feria,
4th Class, with the color of
Green. In this episode: the meditation: "The Humility of the Publican", today's news from the Church: "The Slipyj case and episcopal consecrations without apostolic mandate", a preview of the Sermon: "How to Profit from Everything", and today's thought from the Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
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Sources Used Today:
- "The Humility of the Publican" — From Trinity Sunday to the Assumption
- "The Slipyj case and episcopal consecrations without apostolic mandate" (FSSPX.news)
- "How to Profit from Everything" (SSPX Sermons)
- The Spiritual Life — Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
Please support our new project, the Archbishop Lefebvre Biography Audiobook!
Saint Nicodemus is one of the most intriguing figures in the Gospel because we watch his faith grow slowly. He doesn't appear as a bold disciple from the very beginning. Instead, we see a man searching, questioning, and gradually finding the courage to follow Christ.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest religious council in Jerusalem. He was also one of the most respected teachers in Israel. Humanly speaking, he had everything to lose by associating himself with Jesus.
That's probably why his first visit happened at night.
The Gospel of Saint John tells us that Nicodemus came quietly to speak with Jesus, asking questions that had likely been stirring in his heart for some time. It was during that unforgettable conversation that Christ spoke the words every Christian has heard: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
For years I imagined Nicodemus walking away that night completely confused.
Maybe he was.
But he also kept thinking about what he had heard.
The next time Nicodemus appears in Scripture, the religious leaders are attacking Jesus and looking for ways to arrest Him. Nicodemus doesn't suddenly become fearless, but he does something important. He speaks up. Quietly, cautiously, he reminds the council that Jewish law requires a man to be heard before being condemned.
It's a small step.
But sometimes that's how faith grows.
Then comes the moment that reveals just how far Nicodemus has come.
After the Crucifixion, when nearly everyone else has disappeared, Nicodemus walks openly to Calvary with Joseph of Arimathea. Together they ask Pilate for the body of Jesus. Nicodemus brings an astonishing amount of myrrh and aloes, nearly one hundred Roman pounds, enough to prepare the burial of a king.
The man who first came to Jesus under cover of darkness is now publicly honoring Him in broad daylight.
Ancient Christian tradition says that Nicodemus was eventually baptized by the Apostles and suffered greatly for his faith. Some accounts say he was driven from Jerusalem and lost his position because of his conversion. Whether every detail can be historically confirmed or not, Christians have long remembered him as a disciple whose quiet search for truth eventually became courageous faith.
Visitors to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre can still stand near the Stone of Anointing, where tradition remembers Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea preparing the body of Christ for burial. It's a moving reminder that one of the final acts of love shown to Our Lord came from the man who had once been too cautious to visit Him except at night.
Saint Nicodemus, seeker of truth and faithful disciple of Christ, pray for us.
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The SSPX Podcast is produced by Angelus Press, which has as its mission the fortification of traditional Catholics so that they can defend the Faith, and reaching out to those who have not yet found Tradition.
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The main goal of the Society of Saint Pius X is to preserve the Catholic Faith in its fullness and purity, to teach its truths, and to diffuse its virtues, especially through the Roman Catholic priesthood.
Authentic spiritual life, the sacraments, and the traditional liturgy are its primary means of bringing this life of grace to souls.
Although the traditional Latin Mass is the most visible and public expression of the work of the Society, we are committed to defending Catholic Tradition in its entirety: all of Catholic doctrine and morals as the Church has always defended them. What people need is the Catholic Faith, without compromise, with all the truth and beauty which accompanies it.
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