The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that the message of truth, love, and compassion from Christ is counter cultural and likely to draw us into persecution by the powers of the world.
In the reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, he denounces his persecutors.
* [20:7] You seduced me: Jeremiah accuses the Lord of having deceived him; cf. 15:18. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 18 is a Royal Thanksgiving for Victory.
* [Psalm 18] A royal thanksgiving for a military victory, duplicated in 2 Sm 22. Thanksgiving Psalms are in essence reports of divine rescue. The Psalm has two parallel reports of rescue, the first told from a heavenly perspective (Ps 18:5–20), and the second from an earthly perspective (Ps 18:36–46). The first report adapts old mythic language of a cosmic battle between sea and rainstorm in order to depict God’s rescue of the Israelite king from his enemies. Each report has a short hymnic introduction (Ps 18:2–4, 32–36) and conclusion (Ps 18:21–31, 47–50). (Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus implores the Pharisees to believe the works.
* [10:34] This is a reference to the judges of Israel who, since they exercised the divine prerogative to judge (Dt 1:17), were called “gods”; cf. Ex 21:6, besides Ps 82:6 from which the quotation comes.
* [10:36] Consecrated: this may be a reference to the rededicated altar at the Hanukkah feast; see note on Jn 10:22. (John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
George Butterfield comments that Jeremiah has a thing or two to say to those Prosperity Gospel preachers. Everything will be just rosy, if you trust in God.
Whenever I think of Jeremiah I am reminded of the prosperity Gospel. If you trust in God, you will be healthy and wealthy. Jeremiah trusted in God, and it got him nothing but misery. Of God, Jeremiah says, “he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!” Jeremiah was found to be telling the truth. The nation fell to the Babylonians. Almost everyone but the poorest were carted off to Babylon. You would think that Jeremiah would be celebrated as a true prophet of the Lord. Well, against his advice, the people in the land fled to Egypt and forced Jeremiah to go with them. Eventually they couldn’t handle the truth, so they killed him. Healthy and wealthy? No – dead! (Butterfield, 2025)
Don Schwager quotes “The sacrifice of Christ,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Even though the man Christ Jesus, in the form of God together with the Father with whom He is one God, accepts our sacrifice, nonetheless He has chosen in the form of a servant to be the sacrifice rather than to accept it. Therefore, He is the priest Himself Who presents the offering, and He Himself is what is offered." (excerpt from City of God, 10,20) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 10:31-42 comments that we have our own plans and ideas for how life ought to be or how our prayers ought to be answered. And when those plans or ideas don’t come to fruition, it can cause us to stumble. Maybe it’s a job that falls through, a loved one who dies suddenly, or a relationship that begins to crumble. Despite all the good things we have received from our Father, doubt can creep in. We fail to see Jesus, who stands with us faithfully through the good and the bad.
But what if, in these moments, we paused and asked, “I know what I want in this situation, but how is God working here? Where is Jesus trying to meet me?” What if we asked the Lord to open our eyes and help us see his presence in all things and in all of our circumstances? When we let go of our tight grip on what we think God ought to be doing, we make room for his Spirit to surprise us and show us how he is already at work.
You can be confident that Jesus is with you and working in your life, even when you can’t see how. He is your rock and fortress (Psalm 18:3). Today, ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of renewed sight. Ask him to remove the blinders of your expectations. He will help you to see more clearly. And he will move you to rejoice in the ways he is already present and working.
“Lord, open my eyes to your works and your presence with me!” (Meditation on John 10:31-42, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the spiritual difficulty expressed by Jeremiah as he ponders that the consequence of attending to God’s Plan has brought him to calls for his death as a traitor. The dialogue of Jesus with the Pharisees reveals the difference between the prophet or hero “Son of God” and the metaphysical Son that Jesus declares for Himself. Friar Jude reminds us of the declaration of the Baptist that Jesus is the true “Lamb” and “servant” of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author and podcaster Cassidy Hall who explores the desert as a metaphor for difficult times in our lives. Through desert experiences, we learn to care more deeply for ourselves and the world:
The deserts are many. Chosen and unchosen desert encounters have opened me up to see and experience more room within myself for the whole world—to carry myself, the beloved, and the world with open hands; with compassionate, vulnerable, and tender acceptance. From here, I recognize my capacity for action in the world with deeper clarity about who I am and what I am to speak—or show up to….
In the spaciousness of solitude, we open ourselves up to the truth of ourselves. We more deeply root, examine, shed, and soften. Even in the desert moments of daily life, we are invited into renewal, when the wonder of uncertainty meets a sacred pause amid a busy day. And almost always, the desert spaces are places and moments of paradox: knowing amid the unknowing, refreshment in the parched places, life amid death, fecundity in the barrenness, midnight blooming, and acceptance of seasons. (Rohr, n.d.)
When we encounter disappointment, confusion, and dismissal we are invited to seek the wisdom of the Spirit and continue to persevere in love as companions of Jesus.
References
Butterfield, G. (2025, April 11). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/041125.html
Jeremiah, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/20?10
John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?31
Meditation on John 10:31-42. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/04/11/1245124/
Psalms, PSALM 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/18?2
Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Deserts in Our Lives. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-deserts-in-our-lives/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Am the Son of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 11, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=apr11
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