Friday of the Fifth Week
“If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
But if I perform them, even if you do not believe, believe my works…”
The end of Lent is fast approaching, and soon we will be celebrating the victory of Easter.
Each one of our readings today, from the Prophet, Jeremiah, and the Gospel of Saint John, tell of a person of God who clearly understands that true glory depends on their faithful witness to God.
Jeremiah and Jesus are first pictured facing conflict. For Jeremiah, even some erstwhile friends keep watch “for any misstep,” in order to trap him, “and take vengeance on him.” As for Jesus, his adversaries have “picked up rocks to stone him.” Obviously, both persons of God have said and done something that has called into question the status quo religious standards commonly accepted in their time.
Still, Jeremiah and Jesus appear as persons who “know their trade,” if you will. It is not only a matter of sticking to your guns in your convictions. What they stand for is based on an unshakable faith in God: Jeremiah, “The LORD is with me;” Jesus: “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
Lastly, the promise of Easter is veiled in the words and deeds of the holy person. Jeremiah speaks, “For [the LORD] has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked.” As for Jesus, some had come to “understand that the Father is me and I am in the Father,” and that the works he performed witness to the truth about what John the Baptist had said of him.
Prayer
Fr. Marcel Rainville, S.S.E. ’67, Edmundite Campus Ministry
Psalm 18:2-7
Gospel: John 10:31-42
Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website
