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

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

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

Jeremiah 11:18-20

My Beloved, just as the prophet Jeremiah was hated because he was unafraid to speak God's Word and judgment against the wicked so too were You. The wicked spend their days scheming and plotting ways to destroy the good. They plotted against You all the time and they did not rest until they killed You. My Lord You promised all who endured persecution in this life for Your sake would receive eternal happiness with You as their reward.

Psalm 7:2-3, 9-12

My Beloved, I have no one but You keep me safe in Your love, I take refuge in Your mighty protection. Keep evil and temptation far away from me lest in a moment of weakness I may give way, yield, stumble and fall. Stay with me Lord and cover me in Your Blood. With You as my shield I am invincible.

John 7:40-53

My Beloved, it is only when we listen attentively to the Word made Flesh who dwelt among us will we believe that You are indeed the Christ, a Prophet and even more than  a Prophet. Those who heard You wondered about You for they were beginning to believe that You are the One that Israel was waiting for.

But there will always be the intellectual scoffers. They have certain convictions and they refuse to change their minds because it does not add up according to their way of thinking. They looked at You superficially, had they taken the trouble to seriously discover more about You they would have found out that You were not from Galilee and that You were born in Bethlehem, that Joseph was indeed a descendant of David but we know that there are none so blind as those who refuse to see. 

Division is the work of the devil and his allies and so it was even then. Your enemies plotted to arrest You feverishly for You had become a thorn in their side. Your popularity with the people irked them and stirred up in them a seething, venomous, murderous anger. Some like Nicodemus admired You and were sympathetic and tried to get the authorities to be fair and obtain the facts however they scorned him and shut him up. How far are we willing to go in defending the truth?