Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12, John 7:40-53

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS


Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance. Lk 8:15


Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12, John 7:40-53

Jeremiah 11:18-20

My soul's beloved, the prophet Jeremiah suffered so much and he left an account for us of his sufferings. How often he must have been discouraged for he knew that he was blameless. He was hounded, persecuted, tormented, and several attempts were made to take his life but all the while he knew that he had to speak as God commanded him to. He had to make the sins of the people public and to implore them to change their wicked ways. At the time Jeremiah suffered there was no way for him to know that all his sufferings were a foreshadowing of the One who was to come, sent by the Father, to suffer as no one has ever suffered. More innocent than Jeremiah could ever be You came to lay bear our sins and to invite us to repentance. Your named the sins of the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the priests and You called them out one by one in public and they hated You for it.

Like Jeremiah You knew how they plotted against You. When the time came for You to be led as a lamb to the slaughter You did not hide but remained steadfast in prayer, prepared to drink the chalice of suffering to its bitter dregs. Your enemies thought by killing You they would get rid of You forever and You would be forgotten. Little did they know that God permitted them to succeed in their evil plans until its brutal end and in doing so God took the defeat they plotted against You to the greatest triumph and victory. 

Yes God got His vengeance and what a glorious vengeance it is - He raised You up to the highest heights giving You glory, honor, power, and dominion everywhere and for all eternity. Because You trusted Him and were obedient even unto death on the Cross.

Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12

My soul's beloved, the delight of my heart, I thank You for making a refuge for me in You where I am safe from the wiles of the enemy who seeks to destroy, to plunder and to kill. I thank You for the tenderness of Your mercy, for You kindness and compassion. For You love that is not determined by whether I am worthy of it or not for I could never be worthy of Your love. 

Your love is a shield that surround me and protects me against the poisoned arrows that are constantly directed towards me so that I may succumb and die. But You O Lord are my Protector and I will triumph and I will be victorious for You have pledged to grant me a share in Your glorious resurrection.

John 7:40-53

My soul's beloved, when we come to You with a childlike attitude we will understand eternal truths for it takes simplicity, humility, and an awareness of our littleness before God that moves His heart to grant us the ability to fathom and grasp His power to do all things. The crowds who pressed around You day after day understood that You were the Prophet, the Christ, the anointed of the Father. But those who tried to use human reasoning failed and were the cause of dissension and division. Had they taken the trouble to investigate thoroughly they would have found that You met all the prophecies concerning the Christ, the Messiah that they had been waiting for. Everything that Scripture said concerning the Messiah was fulfilled but because they judged by the few facts that was generally known about You they were unable to arrive at the truth about You.

Division and deception is the work of Satan. The crowds and the authorities were divided in their opinion about You. Some believed and some condemned, but one thing was certain they were compelled to listen to You when You spoke for they had never heard anyone speak as You did about God and about the Kingdom of God. Even the guards sent to arrest You were taken up by the way You spoke and returned without being able to do so.

Nicodemus was the sole voice of reason but when evil has taken over the hearts of men reason is its first victim and lies are unscrupulously used to vanquish the unvanquishable truth as they would eventually find out.