March 26
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
7:45 AM – Evelyn Fix / Family
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
First Reading
Jeremiah 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many: “Terror on every side! Denounce! let us denounce him!” All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine. “Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail, and take our vengeance on him.” But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph. In their failure they will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion. O LORD of hosts, you who test the just, who probe mind and heart, Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause. Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD, For he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
Gospel Acclamation
See John 6:63c, 68c
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!
Gospel
John 10:31-42
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?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and Scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him.
“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.”
Reflection
In today’s gospel from John the people intend on stoning Jesus, not because of what he is doing in the name of God the Father, but because he is referring to himself as the Son of God.
It seems, as though the ones who desire to punish Jesus for saying He is the Son of God have not stopped to ponder that they have never before seen these types of deeds accomplished. If Jesus is not the Son of God, then how can it be possible he is able to perform such miracles?
Often, I believe we think in the same way that the Jewish people in the Gospel of John are thinking. They are being reactionary, assuming what they see is in opposition to what Moses has taught them. How many times in our own lives do we react quickly before we have a real and full understanding of what is taking place in front of our eyes?
Upon reflection, I can look back on my life and see where God has been active, where God has blessed me, where miracles have taken place. It is so easy to miss the forest for the trees. I think this is partly what is happening to the Jewish people in the Gospel today. They have missed the wonderful work Christ has done, missed his true teaching, because they cannot move past the fact that He has stated that He is the Son of God the Father.
Imagine how their lives could have been different if they had only believed. Imagine how our lives can be different if we only see God active in our life each day and give thanks for those blessings.
Peace,
Fr. John Kurgan
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary. Please join us on Fridays during Lent (sign up for in person) as we travel through the stations and identify with Jesus’ journey to Calvary. If you can’t join us in person, follow the virtual guided meditation above to experience the beautiful hand-crafted stations at Holy Cross Church in DeWitt, NY.
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