Reading 1
Jer 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!
Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
Responsorial Psalm
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
Jn 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.
Meditation: John 10:31-42
” I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” (John 10:32)
Both readings today feature experts at fault-finding. Jeremiah’s detractors are “on the watch for any misstep” (Jeremiah 20:10), hoping to find some excuse to take vengeance on him for preaching a message of divine judgment. And Jesus’ accusers are alert for any hint of “blasphemy,” any claim from Jesus that he has a specially close relationship to God.
Because of such a narrow focus, the people in both stories end up missing out on what God is offering them. They ignore Jeremiah’s warning about impending judgment, and because they refuse to repent, their city falls to their enemies. Jesus’ hearers turn away from the life he offers them if only they will come to him humble and open. Their minds are already made up, and so they end up missing out on the good news of his resurrection.
How easy it is to focus on what is wrong with someone’s words or actions! How reassuring to think that we have nothing to learn from them! But this kind of attitude often has an unintended consequence. Not only does it separate us from that person, but it may make us miss out on something God is wanting to teach us. Of course we can’t condone wrongdoing, and we should not agree with falsehoods. But there is no child of God on this earth from whom we have nothing to learn.
Instead of focusing on what a person is doing or saying wrong, ask God to help you discern what they are doing right. Perhaps there is a pure motive behind what looks like a poor choice. Perhaps they are speaking out of fear and hurt, even though their tone sounds angry or confident.
In other words, let God expand your heart. Perhaps that person can give you a new perspective that deepens what you know to be true. Instead of assuming they’re mistaken, ask them to help you understand why they believe and value what they do. God has many unlikely messengers. Don’t miss out on the message he wants to give you!
“Lord, help me to not be quick to condemn someone. Open my eyes and my heart instead, so that you can teach me.”
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