Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 255
Lectionary: 255
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!
"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!
Responsorial
PsalmPS 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.
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.
Verse Before
The GospelSEE JN 6:63C, 68C
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
you have the words of everlasting life.
GospelJN 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.
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.
Meditation: "I am the Son of
God"
Why were the religious leaders so upset with Jesus
that they wanted to kill him? They charged him with blasphemy because he claimed
to be the Son of God and he made himself equal with God. The law of Moses laid
down the death penalty for such a crime: "He who blasphemes the name of
the LORD shall
be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him" (Leviticus
24:16). As they were picking up stones to hurl at Jesus, he met their
attack with three arguments. The many good works that he did, such as healing
the sick, raising the dead, and feeding the hungry, demonstrated that his power
and marvelous deeds obviously came from God.
I am the Son of God
Jesus then defended his right to call himself the Son of God with a quote from Psalm 82:6 ("I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you"). Jesus argued that if Scripture can speak like that of humans, why should he not speak of himself like that? Jesus then made two claims: He was consecrated by the Father for a special task and he was sent into the world to carry out his Father's mission (John 10:36). The scriptural understanding of consecration is to make holy for God - to be given over as a free-will offering and sacrifice for God.
Jesus then defended his right to call himself the Son of God with a quote from Psalm 82:6 ("I say, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you"). Jesus argued that if Scripture can speak like that of humans, why should he not speak of himself like that? Jesus then made two claims: He was consecrated by the Father for a special task and he was sent into the world to carry out his Father's mission (John 10:36). The scriptural understanding of consecration is to make holy for God - to be given over as a free-will offering and sacrifice for God.
Consecrated and sent to do the Father's works
Jesus made himself a sin-offering for us, to ransom us from condemnation and slavery to sin. He spoke of his Father consecrating him for this mission of salvation (John 10:36). Jesus challenged his opponents to accept his works if they could not accept his words. One can argue with words, but deeds are beyond argument. Jesus is the perfect teacher in that he does not base his claims on what he says but on what he does. The word of God is life and power for those who believe and accept it as God's word for us. Jesus shows us the way to walk the path of truth and holiness. And he anoints us with his power to live the Gospel with joy and to be his witnesses in the world. Are you a doer of God's word, or a forgetful hearer only?
Jesus made himself a sin-offering for us, to ransom us from condemnation and slavery to sin. He spoke of his Father consecrating him for this mission of salvation (John 10:36). Jesus challenged his opponents to accept his works if they could not accept his words. One can argue with words, but deeds are beyond argument. Jesus is the perfect teacher in that he does not base his claims on what he says but on what he does. The word of God is life and power for those who believe and accept it as God's word for us. Jesus shows us the way to walk the path of truth and holiness. And he anoints us with his power to live the Gospel with joy and to be his witnesses in the world. Are you a doer of God's word, or a forgetful hearer only?
"Write upon my heart, O Lord, the lessons of your
holy word, and grant that I may be a doer of your word, and not a forgetful
hearer only."
A Daily Quote for Lent: The sacrifice of Christ, by Augustine of
Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Even though the man Christ Jesus, in the form of
God together with the Father with whom He is one God, accepts our sacrifice,
nonetheless He has chosen in the form of a servant to be the sacrifice rather
than to accept it. Therefore, He is the priest Himself Who presents the
offering, and He Himself is what is offered." (excerpt from City of God, 10,20)
FRIDAY, MARCH
23, JOHN 10:31-42
Lenten Weekday
(Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 18)
Lenten Weekday
(Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 18)
KEY VERSE: "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" (v.31).
TO KNOW: Jesus was walking in the Temple precincts during the Festival of Hanukah, an eight-day commemoration of the rededication of the Second Temple. People gathered around and asked, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (v.24). When Jesus announced that he and the Father were one (v.30), they charged him with blasphemy for claiming to be equal to God and they tried to stone him. Jesus told them that he had spent his days healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and comforting the sorrowing, which showed that he had come from God. For which of these deeds did they want to stone him? They answered that it was not for anything he had done; it was his claim that he was the Son of God, which was blasphemy. Jesus declared that even the judges of Israel were likened to "gods" because they mediated God's justice (Ex 21:6; Ps 82:6). Jesus told his enemies that if they could not believe that he was consecrated by God and acted in the power of the divine name ("I AM"), at least they should believe in his works. At these words, they tried to arrest him, but he eluded them. Like the prophets before him, Jesus suffered rejection because of his message.
TO LOVE: Am I willing to do the work that Christ has sent me to do?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, thank you for sharing your divine life with us.
Solemnity of Saint Toribio de
Mogrovejo, bishop
Turibio was born in Spain in 1538, to a noble family in the kingdom of Leon. He studied law and became a lawyer and then professor at Salamanca, receiving appointment, despite being a layman, as chief judge of the court of Inquisition at Granada under King Philip II of Spain. The king subsequently appointed him in 1580 to the post of archbishop of Lima, Peru. After receiving ordination and then consecration, he arrived in Peru in 1581 and soon demonstrated a deep zeal to reform the archdiocese. He was determined to do all in his power to aid the poor and defend the rights of the Indians who were then suffering severely under Spanish occupation. He founded schools, churches, hospitals, and the first seminary in the New World. To assist his pastoral work among the Indians, he also mastered several Indian dialects. He died in 1606. The 16th century bishop upheld the rights of Peru’s indigenous peoples, and became one of the first canonized saints of the Americas, canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726.
Friday 23 March
2018
St Turibius de Mongrovejo. Day of Penance.
Jeremiah 20:10-13. Psalm 17(18):2-7. John 10:31-42.
In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my
voice—Psalm 17(18):2-7.
Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
In the Gospel scene, John depicts Jesus surrounded by scurrilous
paparazzi, who hunt him, ostensibly for being blasphemous! Jesus stumps them
with Psalm 82: ‘I said you are gods!’ In this psalm, God speaks: ‘Give justice
to the weak and fatherless, maintain the right of the afflicted and destitute,
rescue the weak and needy.’ These are the signs of being sons and daughters of
God.
Lord, help us to encounter Jesus anew today as he responds to
the words of his critics. Keep our eyes fixed on your generosity.
May we see in Jesus the works of the Father alive in the world.
May we cooperate with Jesus in making our own contribution.
Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo
Saint of the Day for March 23
(November 16, 1538 – March 23, 1606)
Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo’s Story
Together with Rose of Lima, Turibius is the first known saint of
the New World, serving the Lord in Peru, South America, for 26 years.
Born in Spain and educated for the law, he became so brilliant a
scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually
became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he
was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events.
When the archdiocese of Lima in Peru required a new leader,
Turibius was chosen to fill the post: He was the one person with the strength
of character and holiness of spirit to heal the scandals that had infected that
area.
He cited all the canons that forbade giving laymen
ecclesiastical dignities, but he was overruled. Turibius was ordained priest
and bishop and sent to Peru, where he found colonialism at its worst. The
Spanish conquerors were guilty of every sort of oppression of the native
population. Abuses among the clergy were flagrant, and he devoted his energies
and suffering to this area first.
He began the long and arduous visitation of an immense
archdiocese, studying the language, staying two or three days in each place,
often with neither bed nor food. Turibius confessed every morning to his
chaplain, and celebrated Mass with intense fervor. Among those to whom he gave
the Sacrament of Confirmation was the future Saint Rose of Lima, and possibly
the future Saint Martin de Porres. After 1590, he had the help of another great
missionary, Francis Solanus, now also a saint.
Though very poor his people were sensitive, dreading to accept
public charity from others. Turibius solved the problem by helping them
anonymously.
Reflection
The Lord indeed writes straight with crooked lines. Against his
will, and from the unlikely springboard of an Inquisition tribunal, this man
became the Christlike shepherd of a poor and oppressed people. God gave him the
gift of loving others as they needed it.
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 10,31-42
Lectio Divina:
Friday, March 23, 2018
Season of Lent
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God,
You are a loyal God,
ever faithful to Your promises. Strengthen our faith,
that with Jesus we may always keep trusting in You
in spite of prejudices, ridicule or contradiction.
Give us the firm conviction
that You are irrevocably committed to us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
You are a loyal God,
ever faithful to Your promises. Strengthen our faith,
that with Jesus we may always keep trusting in You
in spite of prejudices, ridicule or contradiction.
Give us the firm conviction
that You are irrevocably committed to us
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) GOSPEL READING - 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.
3) REFLECTION
• We are close to Holy Week, during
which we commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Beginning
with the fourth week of Lent, the texts of the Gospel of every day are texts
taken almost exclusively from the Gospel of John, two chapters which stress the
dramatic tension between the progressive revelation, on the one side, which
Jesus makes of the mystery of the Father which fills Him completely, and on the
other side, the progressive closing up of the Jews who always become more
impenetrable to the message of Jesus. The tragic aspect of this closing up is
that they claim it is in fidelity to God. They refuse Jesus in the name of
God.
• This way in which John presents the conflict between Jesus and the religious authority is not only something which has taken place in the far past. It is also a mirror which reflects what happens today. In the name of God, some persons transform themselves into bombs and kill other persons. In the name of God, we, members of the three religions of the God of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims, have fought among ourselves throughout history. Ecumenism is difficult and at the same time, necessary. In the name of God, many horrible things have been committed and as a world, we continue to commit them every day. Lent is an important period of time to stop and to ask ourselves: What is the image of God that I have within me?
• John 10:31-33: The Jews want to stone Jesus. The Jews prepare stone to kill Jesus and Jesus asks: “I have shown you many good works from My Father, for which of these are you stoning me?” The answer: “We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only man, you claim to be God”. They want to kill Jesus because He blasphemes. The law ordered that such persons should be stoned.
• John 10:34-36: The Bible calls all sons of God. They want to kill Jesus because He says He is God. Jesus responds in the name of the law of God itself. “Is it not perhaps written in your Law: I said you are gods? Now, if the Law has called gods those to whom the Word of God was addressed (and Scripture cannot be set aside), to those whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, and you say: You blaspheme, because I have said: I am the Son of God?”
• Strangely, Jesus says “your law”. He could have said: “our Law”. Why does He speak in this way? The Jews understood the Law as applying the term “gods” to those who were the recipients of God’s Word. There are three ways it could be phrased: 1) the Law, 2) our Law, or 3) your Law. The rabbinic interpretation precludes number 1, as it would only be applied to true Israelites. The second way would indicate a common theological understanding of the Law. His entire ministry had shown their misunderstanding of the Law, so this would not be consistent. So, in option 3, we see He not only is using the Law to explain, but also to emphasize “their” interpretations of the Law versus what He has taught. In other words it could be said: “according to the Law as you have made it out to be”.
• John 10:37-38: At least believe in the works. Jesus again speaks of the works that He does and which are the revelation of the Father. If I do not do the works of the Father, there is no need to believe in me. But if I do them, even if you do not believe in me, at least believe in the works I do, so that you will believe that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. These are the same words that He said at the Last Supper (Jn 14:10-11).
• John 10:39-42: Once again they want to kill Him, but He flees from their clutches. There was no sign of conversion. They continue to say that Jesus blasphemes and insist in killing Him. There is no future for Jesus. His death has been decided, but as yet His hour has not arrived. Jesus goes out and crosses the Jordan going toward the place where John had baptized. In this way He indicates the continuity of His mission with the mission of John. He helped people to become aware of how God acts in history. The people recognize in Jesus the one whom John had announced.
• This way in which John presents the conflict between Jesus and the religious authority is not only something which has taken place in the far past. It is also a mirror which reflects what happens today. In the name of God, some persons transform themselves into bombs and kill other persons. In the name of God, we, members of the three religions of the God of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims, have fought among ourselves throughout history. Ecumenism is difficult and at the same time, necessary. In the name of God, many horrible things have been committed and as a world, we continue to commit them every day. Lent is an important period of time to stop and to ask ourselves: What is the image of God that I have within me?
• John 10:31-33: The Jews want to stone Jesus. The Jews prepare stone to kill Jesus and Jesus asks: “I have shown you many good works from My Father, for which of these are you stoning me?” The answer: “We are stoning you, not for doing a good work, but for blasphemy; though you are only man, you claim to be God”. They want to kill Jesus because He blasphemes. The law ordered that such persons should be stoned.
• John 10:34-36: The Bible calls all sons of God. They want to kill Jesus because He says He is God. Jesus responds in the name of the law of God itself. “Is it not perhaps written in your Law: I said you are gods? Now, if the Law has called gods those to whom the Word of God was addressed (and Scripture cannot be set aside), to those whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world, and you say: You blaspheme, because I have said: I am the Son of God?”
• Strangely, Jesus says “your law”. He could have said: “our Law”. Why does He speak in this way? The Jews understood the Law as applying the term “gods” to those who were the recipients of God’s Word. There are three ways it could be phrased: 1) the Law, 2) our Law, or 3) your Law. The rabbinic interpretation precludes number 1, as it would only be applied to true Israelites. The second way would indicate a common theological understanding of the Law. His entire ministry had shown their misunderstanding of the Law, so this would not be consistent. So, in option 3, we see He not only is using the Law to explain, but also to emphasize “their” interpretations of the Law versus what He has taught. In other words it could be said: “according to the Law as you have made it out to be”.
• John 10:37-38: At least believe in the works. Jesus again speaks of the works that He does and which are the revelation of the Father. If I do not do the works of the Father, there is no need to believe in me. But if I do them, even if you do not believe in me, at least believe in the works I do, so that you will believe that the Father is in me and I am in the Father. These are the same words that He said at the Last Supper (Jn 14:10-11).
• John 10:39-42: Once again they want to kill Him, but He flees from their clutches. There was no sign of conversion. They continue to say that Jesus blasphemes and insist in killing Him. There is no future for Jesus. His death has been decided, but as yet His hour has not arrived. Jesus goes out and crosses the Jordan going toward the place where John had baptized. In this way He indicates the continuity of His mission with the mission of John. He helped people to become aware of how God acts in history. The people recognize in Jesus the one whom John had announced.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• The Jews condemn Jesus in the name of
God, in the name of the image that they have of God. Have I ever condemned
someone in the name of God?
• Do you reveal the presence of Jesus within you by the works that you do?
• Do you reveal the presence of Jesus within you by the works that you do?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Yahweh is my rock and my fortress,
my deliverer is my God.
I take refuge in Him, my rock, my shield,
my saving strength, my stronghold,
my place of refuge. (Ps 18:2)
my deliverer is my God.
I take refuge in Him, my rock, my shield,
my saving strength, my stronghold,
my place of refuge. (Ps 18:2)
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