God's Checkmate Through the High Priest's Decree (March 28, 2026)

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Today’s Sources:

• Daily Bible Reading - March 28, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Ezekiel 37:21-28; Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; Verse Before the Gospel: Ezekiel 18:31; Gospel: John 11:45-56)

• Day 87: God Keeps His Promises — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Joshua 19–21, Psalm 131)

• Day 87: Christ’s Life as Offering — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 606–612)

• March 28, 2026 | Catholic Daily Reflections | Formed

• They meant evil… but God flipped It — Good Catholic

Transcript

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Welcome to the Daily Catholic Deep Dive. We're here to connect the dots between the Bible, the Catechism, and your daily life. Every day we go over the daily mass readings, Father Mike Schmitz's Bible in a year, and Catechism in a year, plus other popular Catholic podcasts and videos released today we find interesting. If you feel a bit overwhelmed by all the daily Catholic listening, don't worry. We are here to find that one golden thread that ties it all together. Let's dive in. Today is Saturday, March 28th, 2026. So uh on the menu today we have the Daily Mass Readings, day 87 of both Bible in a Year and Catechism in a Year, plus the daily reflections from Dr.

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Tim Gray and Good Catholic.

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Exactly. And you know, when you look at all these sources together, a really fascinating image kind of emerges. I mean, have you ever watched a chess grandmaster play?

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Oh, yeah, where they like let the other person think they're winning.

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Yes. They don't just react to the board, they actively use their opponent's most aggressive, destructive moves to secure a checkmate.

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Right. And we actually see that exact strategy playing out today. Um, to understand this grandmaster move, look at the promise God makes in the first reading. So that's from Ezekiel chapter 37, verses 21 to 28.

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Where he vows to gather the children of Israel.

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Yeah. From among all the nations. He promises to unite them under this everlasting covenant of peace.

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But then Well, then you read the gospel from John chapter 11, verses 45 to 56, and it genuinely looks like the opponent is winning the game.

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Oh, absolutely. Because Jesus just raised Lazarus, and the religious leaders are terrified, this is going to provoke the Romans into destroying their nation. Right. And here is where both Dr. Tim Gray and Father Bred Doyle from Good Catholic point out a profound irony. Caiaphas, the high priest, decides to basically assassinate Jesus to save his own political skin.

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He explicitly says it's better for one man to die than for the whole nation to perish.

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Exactly.

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So Caiaphas thinks he's making this brilliant, ruthless move on the chessboard.

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He really does. But um, here is the mechanism of God's checkmate. Caiaphas thinks he's excising a tumor to save the body, right?

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But God uses that exact incision to transplant a new heart into the nation. Because Caiaphas holds the holy office of high priest, God actually uses his corrupt decree to prophesy the exact fulfillment of Ezekiel's promise.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Oh wow. The crucifixion.

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Yeah. The very mechanism Caiaphas uses to scatter Jesus' followers is what God uses to permanently gather the dispersed children of God.

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Okay, but if God is orchestrating all of this through the Sanhedrin's like corrupt political council, it begs a really difficult question. Is Jesus just a passive pawn here?

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Getting flit across the board. Yeah, it's easy to see it that way. Right. But as Father Mike Schmidt points out on day 87 of the Catechism in the year, Jesus is actually driving the game. Look at the Garden of Gethsemane right before his arrest.

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He isn't cornered into sacrificing himself.

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No, not at all. His entire life is a completely free, loving offering to the Father. He lays his life down of his own accord.

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So he's a willing participant in the victory. Let me push back a bit more, though. I mean, trusting this grandmaster plan is easy in hindsight when we can just read the end of the gospel.

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Oh sure. But what about when you're stuck waiting in the dark? When the opponent seems to be completely dominating the board.

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Well, that is the core human struggle, isn't it? And it's beautifully addressed on day 87 of Bible in a year. Father Mike walks us through Joshua chapters 19 through 21.

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The Israelites endured generations of agonizing waiting.

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Right. Slavery, brutal battles, they were in the dark for centuries. But Joshua finally reaches a point where he looks back and declares that not one of the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel had failed.

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Not a single one.

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Yeah. God kept his promise, but the fulfillment didn't happen overnight, and it definitely wasn't without a fierce fight.

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So the central takeaway for us today is that God always keeps his promises. He has this incredible ability to weave even the darkest circumstances, whether it's a corrupt political plot or centuries of wandering into our ultimate salvation.

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God's faithfulness is the golden thread.

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Which brings us to a challenge for you listening right now. Today's responsorial psalm is Psalm 131. It's a prayer of quiet trust. Can you stop striving and battling against the Lord?

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Can you practice humble trust, resting like a quieted child at its mother's breast, right in the middle of whatever struggles you're facing today?

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And before we go, just think about this. If God can use Caiaphas's worst, most selfish intentions to literally save the world, what might he be secretly building through the unfair, frustrating situations in your own life right now?

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Something to think about.

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That's our deep dive for today. We hope this helped you see the big picture. If you enjoyed this content, please remember to subscribe to the show or support our mission through the link in the description. God bless.