Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Readings for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 11:18-20
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more."
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 11:18-20
In this selection we hear the Prophet Jeremiah reflecting on a plot against his life (this plot according to other scripture was initiated by his own family). He speaks prophetically of the event and provides images that will later associate this passage to the plots against Jesus in his last days
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12
R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion's prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12
Psalm 7 is a lament. In the verses used here, we find the psalmist also being persecuted and like Jeremiah, calling on the Lord for protection and salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."
Then each went to his own house.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 7:40-53
The irony of St. John’s Gospel shows in the first part of this passage. The crowd is pointing at facts about the Davidic Messiah, specifically where he was prophesied to have been born. They name the prophecy – the Messiah will be from the line of King David, and Jesus is; and he will have been born in Bethlehem, as Jesus was. Not knowing these facts the crowd is not wholly convinced.
In the second part we hear the deliberations in the Sanhedrin – why had the guards not arrested him? Here we can infer that the crowd actually prevented the guards from doing that as the religious leaders cynically say that “the crowd which does not know the law is accursed”. After more discussion, they are still not ready to act and return to their homes, action for the moment is delayed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
When we look at what is going on with the Prophet Jeremiah and what St. John’s Gospel is saying about the Lord we see the a similar theme. In both situations the people Jeremiah and Jesus love are plotting to kill them.
The reactions of Jeremiah and Jesus as recorded in scripture show us something unique. In essence the difference in their response shows us why Christ came.
In Jeremiah, after the prophet described the plot against his life, he called upon the Lord. He did NOT ask God to forgive those who were trying to kill them. He did NOT pray for their salvation. He did NOT, in charity, hope for them to turn away least they condemn themselves by their own actions. No, Jeremiah prayed to God; “Let me witness the vengeance you take on them”. He fully expected the God of Justice to not only thwart the plot but to visit extreme punishment upon the plotters.
The image of God’s law held by the Hebrews did not include the idea that God loved them as a parent. Rather they viewed the Lord as a Master and themselves as possessions, subject to the whims of a God who for his own reasons could take revenge, cause humiliation and would, in support of His people, kill.
Christ changed that image completely. When he was confronted by ignorant people plotting against is life, he did NOT call down heavenly vengeance upon the plotters as he could easily have done. He did NOT, condemn them to eternal damnation. He did NOT curse them for their ignorance. He loved them and prayed for them and humbly, “like a trusting lamb led to slaughter”, allowed them to fulfill the role to which the evil one had led them.
And what are we to learn from these examples? Clearly the Lord gave us his view of God’s loving face and called us to be like Him. While we have tried to do this in the past and failed, we are called again and again. The Lord will not give up on us and we must never give up on Him. Even in our darkest hour, he is with us, calling us to himself. All we need to do is answer.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Christ with the Chalice” by Juan de Juanes, 1560’s
[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 for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Jeremiah 11:18-20
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more."
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jer 11:18-20
In this selection we hear the Prophet Jeremiah reflecting on a plot against his life (this plot according to other scripture was initiated by his own family). He speaks prophetically of the event and provides images that will later associate this passage to the plots against Jesus in his last days
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12
R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion's prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12
Psalm 7 is a lament. In the verses used here, we find the psalmist also being persecuted and like Jeremiah, calling on the Lord for protection and salvation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: John 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."
Then each went to his own house.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 7:40-53
The irony of St. John’s Gospel shows in the first part of this passage. The crowd is pointing at facts about the Davidic Messiah, specifically where he was prophesied to have been born. They name the prophecy – the Messiah will be from the line of King David, and Jesus is; and he will have been born in Bethlehem, as Jesus was. Not knowing these facts the crowd is not wholly convinced.
In the second part we hear the deliberations in the Sanhedrin – why had the guards not arrested him? Here we can infer that the crowd actually prevented the guards from doing that as the religious leaders cynically say that “the crowd which does not know the law is accursed”. After more discussion, they are still not ready to act and return to their homes, action for the moment is delayed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reflection:
When we look at what is going on with the Prophet Jeremiah and what St. John’s Gospel is saying about the Lord we see the a similar theme. In both situations the people Jeremiah and Jesus love are plotting to kill them.
The reactions of Jeremiah and Jesus as recorded in scripture show us something unique. In essence the difference in their response shows us why Christ came.
In Jeremiah, after the prophet described the plot against his life, he called upon the Lord. He did NOT ask God to forgive those who were trying to kill them. He did NOT pray for their salvation. He did NOT, in charity, hope for them to turn away least they condemn themselves by their own actions. No, Jeremiah prayed to God; “Let me witness the vengeance you take on them”. He fully expected the God of Justice to not only thwart the plot but to visit extreme punishment upon the plotters.
The image of God’s law held by the Hebrews did not include the idea that God loved them as a parent. Rather they viewed the Lord as a Master and themselves as possessions, subject to the whims of a God who for his own reasons could take revenge, cause humiliation and would, in support of His people, kill.
Christ changed that image completely. When he was confronted by ignorant people plotting against is life, he did NOT call down heavenly vengeance upon the plotters as he could easily have done. He did NOT, condemn them to eternal damnation. He did NOT curse them for their ignorance. He loved them and prayed for them and humbly, “like a trusting lamb led to slaughter”, allowed them to fulfill the role to which the evil one had led them.
And what are we to learn from these examples? Clearly the Lord gave us his view of God’s loving face and called us to be like Him. While we have tried to do this in the past and failed, we are called again and again. The Lord will not give up on us and we must never give up on Him. Even in our darkest hour, he is with us, calling us to himself. All we need to do is answer.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Christ with the Chalice” by Juan de Juanes, 1560’s
[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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