The Catholic Calendar for Friday, April 2, 2004
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Scripture from today’s Liturgy of the Word:
Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7
John 10:31-42

A reflection on today’s Sacred Scripture:

Jeremiah is in a most difficult position. He has followed the command of the Lord to give strong advice to the unwilling Jewish authorities and people. As he feared, they rejected him, stoned him, tried to kill him. In his frustration, he turns to the Lord and complains that he was “duped.” Nevertheless, there is no question in his mind about the Truth and the Power of Almighty God. He is just irritated that he was the one in the middle.

Prophets are rarely popular, and never truly appreciated. When we speak the truth of God, we are almost sure to encounter resentment, even from our friends and family. To experience rejection is to understand what Jesus suffered. In today’s Gospel, the stress intensifies. The curious fact is that even we, his friends, may wish he had used more diplomacy. We know how it will end, but we shrink from the outcome, even as his close disciples did.

Dear Jesus, give me the same kind of sacrificing love, and the same kind of courage that you showed, even to the end. Our times demand it, and our Church deserve my consistent witness. Amen

- Msgr. Paul Whitmore
(smartins at twcny dot rr dot com)

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posted by joachim at 4:15 AM