Daily Catholic Mass Readings for April 12, 2019
First Reading: Jeremiah 20.7, 10-13
7O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me.10For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him."11But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.12O LORD of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.13Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.
Psalm 18
1I love you, O LORD, my strength.2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.3I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.4The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;5the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.6In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.7Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.8Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.9He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.10He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.11He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.12Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.14And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.15Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.16He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.17He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.18They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.19He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.20The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.22For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.23I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.24So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.25With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;26with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.27For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.28For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.29For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.30This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.31For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?--32the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.33He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.34He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.35You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.36You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.37I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed.38I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.39For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.40You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.41They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.42I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.43You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.45Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.46The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--47the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,48who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.49For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing to your name.50Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
Gospel: John 10.31-42
31The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.32Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?"33The Jews answered him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God."34Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'?35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came--and Scripture cannot be broken--36do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?37If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;38but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."39Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.40He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.41And many came to him. And they said, "John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true."42And many believed in him there.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two profound narratives that invite us to reflect on faith, persecution, and trust in God. The first reading from Jeremiah portrays the prophet in a moment of deep anguish, expressing his lament and the persecution he endures. Despite his suffering, Jeremiah places his trust in God, acknowledging His strength and justice. This trust is not passive; it is an active choice to rely on God even when circumstances seem dire.
In the Gospel, Jesus faces a similar challenge as He defends His divine identity against those who seek to stone Him. Jesus emphasizes His works as evidence of His union with the Father, urging His adversaries to believe in Him through these signs. This exchange highlights the tension between rejection and revelation, as Jesus' message is met with both hostility and belief.
Both readings remind us that our faith is tested in times of trial. Jeremiah's perseverance and Jesus' steadfastness in the face of opposition encourage us to trust in God's plan, even when we face challenges. In our daily lives, we are called to embrace this trust, recognizing that God's presence and strength are our constants amidst life's uncertainties. Let us draw strength from these examples, persevering in faith and trusting that God's justice and love will prevail.