Daily Readings - Fri Apr 03 2020
Jeremiah
7O 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.10For 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.11But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.12But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.13Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
John
31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?33The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?37If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.38But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.39Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,40And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.41And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.42And many believed on him there.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful testimonies of trust in God’s providence amidst adversity. The prophet Jeremiah, in the first reading, laments the persecution he endures for speaking God’s truth, yet he affirms that the Lord is his strength and that his persecutors will be confounded. Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus faces the hostility of those who seek to stone Him for revealing His divine identity. Yet, Jesus remains steadfast, pointing to His works as evidence of His unity with the Father and withdrawing to a place of refuge when necessary.
Both readings highlight the tension between fidelity to God’s mission and the inevitable opposition that comes from a world resistant to truth. Jeremiah and Jesus remind us that standing for what is right often invites persecution, but it is precisely in these moments that our trust in God is tested and refined. The prophet’s cry to God and Jesus’ calm reliance on His Father’s presence in His works show us that true strength lies not in our own power, but in surrendering to God’s plan and allowing His justice to prevail.
In our daily lives, we may face smaller but no less significant challenges to our faith and values. These readings invite us to reflect on how we respond to such trials. Do we, like Jeremiah and Jesus, trust that God is with us even when the world seems against us? Let us ask for the grace to remain steadfast in our commitment to truth and to seek refuge in God’s presence, knowing that He will ultimately vindicate those who are faithful. In times of struggle, may we, like Jesus, withdraw to prayer and allow God’s works to speak for themselves, trusting that His light will shine through us even in darkness.