Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress": April 11

Readings

Jer 20:10-13 Many whisper: “Let's denounce him! Perhaps he'll be trapped and we can take vengeance.” But the Lord is with me; they'll be put to shame. Lord, I've entrusted my cause to you; let me witness your vengeance. You've rescued the poor!

Ps 18:2-7 "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice." I love you, Lord, my rock, my deliverer; I'm safe from my enemies.

Jn 10:31-42 The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. “We're stoning you for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” Jesus: “Can you say the one the Father has sent blasphemes by saying, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I perform his works, at least believe the works, so you may realize the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” He went back to the place where John first baptized; many there began to believe in him.

Pope Francis

Homily: The devil tempts and attacks us because the spirit of Evil doesn't want our holiness, Christian witness, or discipleship. Learn the characteristics so you don't fall: temptation begins gradually, grows, spreads, then justifies itself. Jesus’s first temptation was like a seduction. Satan told him to throw himself down so all would see he's the Messiah! When the devil was rejected, he came back stronger; he got involved with Jesus’s enemies: when Jesus preached in the synagogue, his enemies belittled him. Temptation grows and infects others. Consider gossip: at first I’m just envious inside, then I share it, and the gossip grows and infects others. The temptation begins discreetly, like a trickle, infects others, then justifies itself. Be vigilant; don't give in to the initial temptation. We're all tempted because Christian life is a struggle; Satan doesn’t want us to follow Christ. You may say, ‘You're old-fashioned to speak about the devil!’ But look out; the devil is present even now! Don't be naïve.

Reflections

Creighton: God has rescued the life of the poor. What have I done for the poor lately? Jesus who performed the Father's works can also work in us. Do I believe Jesus is with me, calling me? How can I respond today?

Passionist: Jesus told the Jewish leaders who he was, but they refused to accept him. Has the world ever thrown stones at you—at work? in your family? The world loves to tell us who we are, and we can let its values shape us, but as Jesus returned to where he was baptized, we need to visit our baptismal place to be reaffirmed in our identity. There, where we became children of God, we remember we're created in God's image and likeness. Imbued with dignity and respect, we can withstand any stones the world hurls.

Moved to greater love Jesuit reflection on union with Jesus en route to the cross: Jesus is the Truth; some rejected him because he threatens their conception of God and their way of life, but others came to believe. How have I received the truth so that it may bear fruit in my life and ministry? What areas of my life need transformation and surrendering to God's grace? Where have I faced fear, misunderstanding, and rejection? +Prayer for Compassion/ Arrupe, Prison Writings/ Delp

Apparel

Dress your life!

Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress"