Daily Catholic Mass Readings for March 23, 2018
First Reading: Jeremiah 20.7, 10-13
7"You have led me away, O Lord, and I have been led away. You have been stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a derision all day long; everyone mocks me10For I heard the insults of many, and terror all around: ‘Persecute him!’ and, ‘Let us persecute him!’ from all the men who had been at peace with me and who had kept watch by my side. ‘If only there were some way that he might be deceived, and we might prevail against him and obtain vengeance from him!11But the Lord is with me, like a strong warrior. For this reason, those who persecute me will fall, and they will be ineffective. They will be greatly confounded. For they have not understood the everlasting disgrace that will never be wiped away12And you, O Lord of hosts, the Tester of the just, who sees the temperament and the heart: I beg you to let me see your vengeance upon them. For I have revealed my case to you13Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he has freed the soul of the poor from the hand of the wicked
Psalm 18
1Unto the end. For David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke the words of this canticle to the Lord, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love you, O Lord my strength.2The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my liberator. My God is my helper, and I hope in him: my protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my support3Praising, I will call upon the Lord. And I will be saved from my enemies4The sorrows of death surrounded me, and the torrents of iniquity dismayed me5The sorrows of Hell encompassed me, and the snares of death intercepted me6In my tribulation, I called upon the Lord, and I cried out to my God. And he listened to my voice from his holy temple. And my cry in his presence entered into his ears7The earth was shaken, and it trembled. The foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and they were shaken, because he was angry with them8A smoke ascended by his wrath, and a fire flared up from his face: coals were kindled by it9He bent the heavens, and they descended. And darkness was under his feet10And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew: he flew upon the feathers of the winds11And he set darkness as his hiding place, with his tabernacle all around him: dark waters in the clouds of the air12At the brightness that was before his sight, the clouds crossed by, with hail and coals of fire13And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire14And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them. He multiplied lightnings, and he set them in disarray15Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were revealed, by your rebuke, O Lord, by the inspiration of the Spirit of your wrath16He sent from on high, and he accepted me. And he took me up, out of many waters17He rescued me from my strongest enemies, and from those who hated me. For they had been too strong for me18They intercepted me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my protector19And he led me out, into a wide place. He accomplished my salvation, because he willed me20And the Lord will reward me according to my justice, and he will repay me according to the purity of my hands21For I have preserved the ways of the Lord, and I have not behaved impiously before my God22For all his judgments are in my sight, and his justice, I have not pushed away from me23And I will be immaculate together with him, and I will keep myself from my iniquity24And the Lord will reward me according to my justice and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes25With the holy, you will be holy, and with the innocent, you will be innocent26and with the elect, you will be elect, and with the perverse, you will be perverse27For you will save the humble people, but you will bring down the eyes of the arrogant28For you illuminate my lamp, O Lord. My God, enlighten my darkness29For in you, I will be delivered from temptation; and with my God, I will climb over a wall30As for my God, his way is undefiled. The eloquence of the Lord has been examined by fire. He is the protector of all who hope in him31For who is God, except the Lord? And who is God, except our God32It is God who has wrapped me with virtue and made my way immaculate33It is he who has perfected my feet, like the feet of deer, and who stations me upon the heights34It is he who trains my hands for battle. And you have set my arms like a bow of brass35And you have given me the protection of your salvation. And your right hand sustains me. And your discipline has corrected me unto the end. And your discipline itself will teach me36You have expanded my footsteps under me, and my tracks have not been weakened37I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them. And I will not turn back until they have failed38I will break them, and they will not be able to stand. They will fall under my feet39And you have wrapped me with virtue for the battle. And those rising up against me, you have subdued under me40And you have given the back of my enemies to me, and you have destroyed those who hated me41They cried out, but there was none to save them, to the Lord, but he did not heed them42And I will crush them into dust before the face of the wind, so that I will obliterate them like the mud in the streets43You will rescue me from the contradictions of the people. You will set me at the head of the Gentiles44A people I did not know has served me. As soon as their ears heard, they were obedient to me45The sons of foreigners have been deceitful to me, the sons of foreigners have grown weak with time, and they have wavered from their paths46The Lord lives, and blessed is my God, and may the God of my salvation be exalted47O God, who vindicates me and who subdues the people under me, my liberator from my enraged enemies48And you will exalt me above those who rise up against me. From the iniquitous man, you will rescue me49Because of this, O Lord, I will confess to you among the nations, and I will compose a psalm to your name50magnifying the salvation of his king, and showing mercy to David, his Christ, and to his offspring, even for all time
Gospel: John 10.31-42
31Therefore, the Jews took up stones, in order to stone him32Jesus answered them: "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?33The Jews answered him: "We do not stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy and because, though you are a man, you make yourself God.34Jesus responded to them: "Is it not written in your law, ‘I said: you are gods?35If he called those to whom the word of God was given gods, and Scripture cannot be broken36why do you say, about him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You have blasphemed,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?37If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe in me38But if I do them, even if you are not willing to believe in me, believe the works, so that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.39Therefore, they sought to apprehend him, but he escaped from their hands40And he went again across the Jordan, to that place where John first was baptizing. And he lodged there41And many went out to him. And they were saying: "Indeed, John accomplished no signs42But all things whatsoever that John said about this man were true." And many believed in him
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound narratives of faith and perseverance. The first reading from Jeremiah portrays the prophet in a moment of deep anguish, lamenting the persecution he endures for his faith. Despite his suffering, Jeremiah's trust in God remains unwavering, as he affirms that the Lord is his strength. In contrast, the Gospel from John presents Jesus facing intense opposition, where the Jews seek to stone him for blasphemy. Jesus defends his divine identity, urging the people to believe in him through his works, which reflect the Father's presence within him.
The context of these readings reveals the challenges faced by those who serve God. Jeremiah, as a prophet, is no stranger to persecution, a common fate for those called by God. Similarly, Jesus's situation in John's Gospel highlights the growing tension between him and the Jewish authorities, who reject his divine claims. Both narratives underscore the theme of standing firm in faith despite adversity.
The connection between the readings lies in their emphasis on trust and faith. Jeremiah's unwavering trust in God serves as a testament to the power of faith amidst suffering. Jesus's words challenge us to recognize his divine identity and to believe, not just in him, but in the works that manifest God's presence. These themes invite us to reflect on our own faith journey, encouraging us to remain steadfast even when faced with challenges.
In our daily lives, these readings remind us to trust in God's plan, especially during difficult times. Like Jeremiah, we may face trials, but our faith should remain our anchor. Jesus's message calls us to look beyond surface-level appearances and to seek the divine hand at work in our lives. By focusing on God's works and maintaining our faith, we can navigate life's storms with confidence and hope.
The moral lesson here is clear: faith and trust in God are our guiding lights. Just as Jeremiah and Jesus exemplify unwavering faith, we too can find strength in our relationship with God. Recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, we are called to live out our faith with courage and perseverance, trusting that God's plan will prevail.