JEREMIAH 20: 10 – 13

I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him.” But 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 dishonour will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who test the righteous, who see the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

The Word of the Lord.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm18: 1 – 6 (R.) 6

R/. In my anguish I called to the Lord, and he heard me.

I love you, Lord, my strength;
O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my saviour. R/.

My God, my rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold.
I cry out, “Praised be the Lord!” and see,
I am saved from my foes. R/.

The waves of death rose about me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave surrounded me;
the traps of death confronted me. R/.

In my anguish I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry to him reached his ears. R/.

VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
John 6: 63c, 68c

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Your words, Lord, Are Spirit and life; you have the words of eternal life.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

GOSPEL
JOHN 10: 31 – 42

At that time: The Jews took up stones to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We stone you for no good work but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be nullified), do 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’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but 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.” Again they tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John at first baptised, and there he remained. And many came to him; and they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” And many believed in him there.

The Gospel of the Lord.
REFLECTION: The Crucifixion Draws Near
April 8, 2022

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?” (John 10:31–32)

As we draw closer to Holy Week, and to Good Friday, we begin to see that hatred was growing toward Jesus. Just as we saw in yesterday’s reflection, this makes no sense. To hate Jesus and to desire to stone Him to death is an act of the greatest irrationality. But this is what happened. Little by little, those who were against Jesus grew in boldness until that ultimate day came when He laid down His life for us and willingly embraced His death.

Over the next two weeks it’s good to face this irrationality and persecution head on. It’s good to see the hatred of so many and to name it for what it is. No, it’s not a pleasant thought, but it is reality. It’s the world we live in. And it’s a reality we will all face in our lives.

When confronting evil and persecution, we should do so as Jesus did. He faced it without fear. He faced it with the truth and never accepted the lies and calumny that so many threw at Him.

The fact of the matter is that the closer we grow toward God, the greater the persecution and hatred we will encounter. Again, this may not make sense to us. It’s easy to think that if we are close to God and strive for holiness everyone will love and praise us. But it wasn’t that way for Jesus and it will not be that way for us either.

One key to holiness is that in the midst of persecution, suffering, hardship and sorrow, we stand firm in the truth. It’s always tempting to think that we must be doing something wrong when things do not go our way. It’s easy to be confused by the lies and calumny that the world throws at us when we try to stand for goodness and the truth. One thing God wants of us, in the midst of our own crosses, is to purify our faith and resolve to stand firm in His Word and Truth.

When we face some cross or some persecution it can be like getting hit in the head. We may feel like we are in a daze and can give into panic and fear. But these are the times, more than any other, when we need to stand strong. We need to remain humble but deeply convicted about all that God has said and revealed to us. This deepens our ability to trust God in all things. It’s easy to say we trust God when life is easy, it’s hard to trust Him when the cross we face is quite heavy.

Reflect, today, upon the fact that no matter what your cross may be, it is a gift from God in that He is desiring to strengthen you for some greater purpose. As Saint John Paul the Great said over and over during his pontificate, “Do not be afraid!” Face your fears and let God transform you in the midst of them. If you do so, you will discover that your greatest struggles in life actually turn out to be your greatest blessings.

PRAYER:
My courageous Lord, as we draw near to the commemoration of Your own suffering and death, help me to unite my crosses to Yours. Help me to see in my daily struggle Your presence and strength. Help me to see the purpose you have for me in the midst of these challenges. Jesus, I trust in You.https://masvingomirror.com/