Readings for Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 20:10-13
Jeremiah is near despair as the plots of his family and friends are fomented against him. We can clearly hear the fear in his voice (“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine”). Yet, in spite of his dire situation he trusts that God will support him. Indeed, he is hoping that God will not only save him but will punish those who plot against him.
This is a typical Old Testament understanding of the God of Justice who visits his wrath on the enemies of the faithful. We see also an interesting observation about the path of the faithful; “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart” inferring that the path of faithfulness is always difficult.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
Psalm 18 is a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s salvation. While in its full form it is in thanks for victory following a physical battle, here we see that thanks given in the form of heavenly aid in difficult situations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 10:31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 10:31-42
Jesus is in the Temple at Jerusalem once again on a festival day (Probably the Feast of the Dedication or Festival of Lights). He has just finished his discourse on the Good Shepherd and a number of those present are pressing him to declare that he is the Messiah. Immediately preceding this reading, he answered them “The Father and I are one.” Now his enemies pick up stones.
Instead of leaving immediately, Jesus tells them to look at his works, the signs he has performed and judge if he is not doing the Father’s work. When they tell him it is not his works they challenge but his assertion that he is God, Jesus tells them; “Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods'?” This is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Deuteronomy 1:17), were called "gods"; cf Exodus 21:6, besides Psalm 82:6 from which the quotation comes.
Jesus continues to point at his salvific actions but the agents of the Sanhedrin do not accept this argument although many in the crowd do since we hear “…they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped their power.” This would seem to imply that they feared intervention from the crowd. Jesus leaves followed by “many” and continues to teach, across the Jordan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today Jesus narrowly averts being stoned again. He challenges the people he finds at the temple to refute him based upon what he has done. We can feel him anticipating his great passion. He must sense that all things are coming to a head just as we are. We hear Jesus try one more time to get them to understand who he is and why he came. We are supported in our anticipation by Jeremiah who is feeding our anxiousness over the situation as he speaks about plots against himself as well. The more we read in scripture the more we come to understand that following God’s will is frequently the most unpopular thing in the world to do.
As we fly toward the events starting with Palm Sunday launching us into Holy Week, we must ask ourselves if we, like Jesus and like Jeremiah have followed the path God would have us follow or have we more frequently taken the easy way out – the path of least resistance. We need not feel guilt because we have fallen to human weakness, the disciples of Jesus all run away next week and Peter goes even further than that; denying the Lord in his fear. Rather we must look again at the example set by our Savior. He clearly sees what is coming. It is also clear he does not want what is going to happen to happen. Yet, out of his great love for us, he follows that path.
A Lenten Exercise of Reconciliation
In our own search for constant progress toward spiritual growth, part of what we must do is reflect upon the major decisions we have made in the past several weeks (or months depending upon the amount of time we can dedicate to this introspective exercise). It is helpful to actually write these down on paper and see them as well as just mentally considering them.
-We ask ourselves these questions. First, did we choose to do what Christ would have chosen had be been standing in our place?
-If the answer is no, what caused us to choose a different path?
-If we chose that different path, did we do it without thinking or did we consciously choose what we knew to be the wrong path out of fear or weakness?
-We ask our selves what were the consequences of the decisions? If they impacted not just ourselves but others in a negative way, it should be obvious that we need to reconcile ourselves not just to God (we should at this point take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation) but to whom ever suffered because of our choices.
An important part of growing is recognizing the mistakes we make and then changing what we do so we do not repeat them. Spiritual growth can only occur when we look closely at what we do, recognize the consequences (to God, ourselves, and others) and then comparing our actions to the best example of spiritual perfection we have in Christ Jesus. The challenge we face is that in many cases, as both Jeremiah and Jesus demonstrate in scripture, is the right actions are often not the most popular. Today, as we prepare to immerse ourselves in the agony and glory of Holy Week, we pray for the strength to make choices that will please God and his Only Son.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used (now the sixth in this series) is “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1600s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many:
"Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!"
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
"Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him."
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 20:10-13
Jeremiah is near despair as the plots of his family and friends are fomented against him. We can clearly hear the fear in his voice (“All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine”). Yet, in spite of his dire situation he trusts that God will support him. Indeed, he is hoping that God will not only save him but will punish those who plot against him.
This is a typical Old Testament understanding of the God of Justice who visits his wrath on the enemies of the faithful. We see also an interesting observation about the path of the faithful; “O Lord of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart” inferring that the path of faithfulness is always difficult.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
Psalm 18 is a hymn of thanksgiving for God’s salvation. While in its full form it is in thanks for victory following a physical battle, here we see that thanks given in the form of heavenly aid in difficult situations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 10:31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?"
The Jews answered him,
"We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God."
Jesus answered them,
"Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods"'?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
"John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true."
And many there began to believe in him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 10:31-42
Jesus is in the Temple at Jerusalem once again on a festival day (Probably the Feast of the Dedication or Festival of Lights). He has just finished his discourse on the Good Shepherd and a number of those present are pressing him to declare that he is the Messiah. Immediately preceding this reading, he answered them “The Father and I are one.” Now his enemies pick up stones.
Instead of leaving immediately, Jesus tells them to look at his works, the signs he has performed and judge if he is not doing the Father’s work. When they tell him it is not his works they challenge but his assertion that he is God, Jesus tells them; “Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods'?” This is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Deuteronomy 1:17), were called "gods"; cf Exodus 21:6, besides Psalm 82:6 from which the quotation comes.
Jesus continues to point at his salvific actions but the agents of the Sanhedrin do not accept this argument although many in the crowd do since we hear “…they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped their power.” This would seem to imply that they feared intervention from the crowd. Jesus leaves followed by “many” and continues to teach, across the Jordan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
Today Jesus narrowly averts being stoned again. He challenges the people he finds at the temple to refute him based upon what he has done. We can feel him anticipating his great passion. He must sense that all things are coming to a head just as we are. We hear Jesus try one more time to get them to understand who he is and why he came. We are supported in our anticipation by Jeremiah who is feeding our anxiousness over the situation as he speaks about plots against himself as well. The more we read in scripture the more we come to understand that following God’s will is frequently the most unpopular thing in the world to do.
As we fly toward the events starting with Palm Sunday launching us into Holy Week, we must ask ourselves if we, like Jesus and like Jeremiah have followed the path God would have us follow or have we more frequently taken the easy way out – the path of least resistance. We need not feel guilt because we have fallen to human weakness, the disciples of Jesus all run away next week and Peter goes even further than that; denying the Lord in his fear. Rather we must look again at the example set by our Savior. He clearly sees what is coming. It is also clear he does not want what is going to happen to happen. Yet, out of his great love for us, he follows that path.
A Lenten Exercise of Reconciliation
In our own search for constant progress toward spiritual growth, part of what we must do is reflect upon the major decisions we have made in the past several weeks (or months depending upon the amount of time we can dedicate to this introspective exercise). It is helpful to actually write these down on paper and see them as well as just mentally considering them.
-We ask ourselves these questions. First, did we choose to do what Christ would have chosen had be been standing in our place?
-If the answer is no, what caused us to choose a different path?
-If we chose that different path, did we do it without thinking or did we consciously choose what we knew to be the wrong path out of fear or weakness?
-We ask our selves what were the consequences of the decisions? If they impacted not just ourselves but others in a negative way, it should be obvious that we need to reconcile ourselves not just to God (we should at this point take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation) but to whom ever suffered because of our choices.
An important part of growing is recognizing the mistakes we make and then changing what we do so we do not repeat them. Spiritual growth can only occur when we look closely at what we do, recognize the consequences (to God, ourselves, and others) and then comparing our actions to the best example of spiritual perfection we have in Christ Jesus. The challenge we face is that in many cases, as both Jeremiah and Jesus demonstrate in scripture, is the right actions are often not the most popular. Today, as we prepare to immerse ourselves in the agony and glory of Holy Week, we pray for the strength to make choices that will please God and his Only Son.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used (now the sixth in this series) is “Christ Carrying the Cross” by El Greco, 1600s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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