Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection April 05, 2025

05th April 2025 (Saturday)

Psalter: Week 4

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

The Lord made it known to me and I knew; then you showed me their deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not know it was against me they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.” But, O Lord of hosts, who judges righteously, who tests the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.

Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12 (R. 2a)

R/. O Lord, my God, I take refuge in you

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

V/. Blessed are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel: John 7:40-53

At that time: When they heard the words of Jesus, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” They went each to his own house.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Saturday – Fourth Week of Lent

Main Point: Good persons suffer on behalf of God and good, but they never give up and abandon the right path

1. The prophet suffers. This is so much and humanly unbearable. He suffers ingratitude, deception and betrayal at the hands of his own people. He faces persecution and even to the point of death.

2. This is all the more excruciatingly painful because it is his own people for whom he did so much, for whom he pleaded so fervently to God not to punish or destroy them for their iniquities but to be merciful. And so, humanly speaking, he should seek revenge. But he is really a God-fearing and God-trusting man. So he entrusts his case and cause to God.

3. This is the same spirit that Jesus manifests in the face of undeserving and unjust suffering. His own people refuse to believe in him. No amount of miracles, no amount of powerful and godly teachings, no amount of witness from the sincere messengers, and no amount of wise advice from leaders like Nicodemus, would melt their stubbornness.

4. Their jealousy makes them prejudiced. Their prejudice leads to hatred. Hatred blinds them to truth. Their blindness leads them to unbelief. Unbelief leads to rejection, and rejection to evil plotting, and conspiracy finally ends in murder.

5. But, just see Jesus. No amount of affliction and problem makes him be shaken in his loyalty to God’s will, in his compassion towards his people. At no point, Jesus backtracks from God’s will or doubts the rightness of God’s ways.

6. And at no point, Jesus feels retaliation towards those hostile to him and never wishes bad for them. So instead of feeling furious toward those who did wrong to Jesus, it is better that we get more convinced by looking at the prophet and Jesus.

My Practice: Often it is a wonder for me, why and how the leaders and the people as well could not get more correct details about Jesus’ birth and lineage. That only shows that when faith is shallow, knowledge too becomes shallow and deviated.