March 22, 2013

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Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Lectionary: 255

Reading 1 Jer 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!

Jeremiah, the Prophet, is hated by all in Israel because of his preaching.  He has repeatedly given the Jews, God's message revealing to them their sin and the imminent punishment from God.  And now they want to kill him for it:

Jeremiah 20:
⁷ O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. ⁸ For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. ⁹ Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. ¹⁰ For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.

This is a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ. 

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 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.

^{When I was in trouble, I prayed for God's help and he answered me.
I love you, Father, you are my protector and my Savior.} 

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.

My God, you protect me, you are my help.  I thank you Lord, for you have protected me from those who would hurt me.  From those who despise me, you have saved me.

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.

Murderers surrounded me like torrents of rushing water.  The tendrils of hell reached out to grab me and to take my life.

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.

But I turned to you and prayed and you responded to my prayers.  From all my trouble, you saved me.

Gospel Jn 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 wanted to hurl rocks at Jesus.  So Jesus asked, "For which of my signs, which my Father sent me to give you, do you want to kill me?"

The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”

They said, "We are punishing you because you call yourself God."

Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘?

"Doesn't Scripture say that you are all gods?" Jesus asked.

 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’?

And if the Word of God says that you ordinary people are gods and the Word of God is never wrong, how can you say that the Son of God who came from heaven and says, I am the Son of God, is blaspheming?

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.”

I have proof that I am the Son of God.  I have provided you with signs and wonders that none of you can do.  So if you don't believe my words from my mouth, then believe the signs which I have performed.   Understand that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.

Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

And they tried to arrest Him for that, but He simply left.

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.

And He went back to the Jordan where St. John the Baptist first began to baptize and there He stayed.  Many came in search of Him and said, "Even though St. John did not perform any miracles, everything he said about Jesus is true. "  And many more began to believe in Jesus at that time.