Daily Mass Readings – Friday, 7 April 2028

10 For I heard the reproaches of many, and terror on every side: Persecute him, and let us persecute him: from all the men that were my familiars, and continued at my side: if by any means he may be deceived, and we may prevail against him, and be revenged on him.

11 But the Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore they that persecute me shall fall, and shall be weak: they shall be greatly confounded, because they have not understood the everlasting reproach, which never shall be effaced.

12 And thou, O Lord of hosts, prover of the just, who seest the reins and the heart: let me see, I beseech thee, thy vengeance on them: for to thee I have laid open my cause.

13 Sing ye to the Lord, praise the Lord: because he hath delivered the soul of the poor out of the hand of the wicked.

R. (7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

2 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:

3a The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer.

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

3bc My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.

4 Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

5 The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.

6 The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me.

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

7 In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.

R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

63c, 68cYour words, Lord, are Spirit and life; you have the words of everlasting life.

31 The Jews then took up stones to stone him.

32 Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shewed you from my Father; for which of these works do you stone me?

33 The Jews answered him: For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God.

34 Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said you are gods?

35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the scripture cannot be broken;

36 Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?

37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

38 But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

39 They sought therefore to take him; and he escaped out of their hands.

40 And he went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first; and there he abode.

41 And many resorted to him, and they said: John indeed did no sign.

42 But all things whatsoever John said of this man, were true. And many believed in him.

When hostility closes in, Scripture directs us toward the God who hears. The persecuted servant cries out in distress, and the psalm answers with confidence: the Lord is strength, refuge, deliverer, and support. His safety does not come from controlling his enemies, but from placing his cause before the God who sees the heart.

Jesus faces the same kind of opposition. His works are visible signs that the Father is in him and he is in the Father, yet those who reject him reach for stones. He does not answer their violence with violence. He points to the works of the Father and continues to bear witness to the truth. Even when people refuse his words, his works remain an invitation to believe. At times, faithful discipleship may be misunderstood or opposed. We can bring that pain honestly to God without surrendering our hearts to bitterness. The words of Jesus are Spirit and life; they teach us to remain rooted in the Father’s truth and to let our actions quietly reveal whose life is within us.

Lord God, you hear the cry of those who call upon you and remain near when fear and opposition surround them. Be my refuge and strength. When I am misunderstood, keep me from anger that harms and from fear that silences truth. Give me the grace to entrust my cause to you, as Jesus entrusted himself to the Father. May his words become Spirit and life within me, and may my choices bear quiet witness to his presence. Help me recognize your works, trust your wisdom, and remain faithful with a peaceful heart. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.