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
Psalm18:2-3A, 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 GospelJN 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.
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.
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, APRIL 3, JOHN 10:31-42
Lenten Weekday: Day of Abstinence
(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 re-dedication 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, help me to face rejection when I speak in your name.
Lenten Weekday: Day of Abstinence
(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 re-dedication 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, help me to face rejection when I speak in your name.
Friday 3 April 2020
Jeremiah 20:10-13. In my distress I called upon the Ord,
and he heard my voice – Psalm 17(18):2-7. John 10:31-42.
They wanted to stone Jesus, but he eluded them
All three readings today tell of someone who is in distress but
knows that God is with them. I know from experience that when I am going
through a time of trial, believing that there will be an end to it, can be
really hard. My mother always used to say, ‘It’ll pass’ and I would get angry
because I knew that the problem was getting through the now. But at
these times, being able to pray something as simple as, ‘Help me God’, is a
lifesaver. Although I didn’t know the answer, I knew God did. Therefore, I was
able to put my distress, anxiety and depression into God’s hands and know that
something would happen to help. That was liberating.
Saint Benedict the African
Saint of the Day for April 3
(1526 – 1589)
 |
| Statue of Saint Benedict the Moor | Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Benedict, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil | photo by Mateus Hidalgo |
Saint Benedict the African’s Story
Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and
gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up.
His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily.
Freed at 18, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a
pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time, he joined a group of
hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. Because
these hermits followed the Rule of Saint Francis, Pope Pius IV ordered
them to join the First Order.
Benedict was eventually novice master and then guardian of the
friars in Palermo—positions rarely held in those days by a brother. In fact,
Benedict was forced to accept his election as guardian. And when his term
ended, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen.
Benedict corrected the friars with humility and charity. Once he
corrected a novice and assigned him a penance only to learn that the novice was
not the guilty party. Benedict immediately knelt down before the novice and
asked his pardon.
In later life, Benedict was not possessive of the few things he
used. He never referred to them as “mine,” but always called them “ours.” His
gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls earned him throughout Sicily a
reputation for holiness. Following the example of Saint Francis, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout
the year; he also slept only a few hours each night.
After Benedict’s death, King Philip III of Spain paid for a
special tomb for this holy friar. Canonized in 1807, he is honored as a patron
saint by African Americans. The Liturgical Feast of Saint Benedict the
African is April 4.
Reflection
Among Franciscans, a position of leadership is limited in time.
When the time expires, former leaders sometimes have trouble adjusting to their
new position. The Church needs men and women ready to put their best energies
into leadership—but also men and women who are gracefully willing to go on to
other work when their time of leadership is over.
Saint Benedict the African is the Patron Saint of:
African Americans
Lectio Divina: John 10:31-42
Lectio Divina
Friday, April 3, 2020
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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