Have mercy on me, for I am suffering. Deliver me from the enemy and the oppressor! I will not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have called upon you (P

 Have mercy on me, for I am suffering. Deliver me from the enemy and the oppressor! I will not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have called upon you (Ps 30:10, 16, 18).

Following in the footsteps of Christ, his disciples are called to be faithful to the will of God, even if this means misunderstanding and persecution. Let us celebrate with confidence in the Lord, our “strength and mighty salvation.”

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah – 10I have heard the reproaches of so many men; I have seen them spreading fear all around: “Denounce him, let us denounce him.” All my friends have observed my failings: “Perhaps he will make a mistake, and we can catch him and take revenge on him.” 11But the Lord is at my side like a mighty warrior; therefore my persecutors will fall defeated. Because they were not successful, they will be covered with shame, an everlasting shame that will never be erased! 12O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous and sees the thoughts of the heart, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have declared my cause to you. 13Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has saved the life of a poor man from the hands of the wicked. – The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 17(18)

I called to the Lord in my distress, / and he heard my voice.

1. I love you, O Lord; you are my strength, / my rock, my refuge and my savior. – R.

2. O my God, you are my rock, my strength and my mighty salvation, / my shield and my shield; I hope in you. / I will call to my Lord; to him be the glory! / And I will be saved from my persecutors. – R.

3. The waves of death have engulfed me, / and the torrents of evil have overwhelmed me; / the cords of the abyss have ensnared me, / and death itself has caught me in its nets. – R.

4. I called to the Lord in my distress, / and raised my cry to my God; / from his temple he heard my voice, / and my cry reached his ears. – R.

Gospel: John 10,31-42

Glory to Christ, eternal Word of the Father, who is love!

Lord, your words are spirit, they are life; / you alone have the words of eternal life! (Jn 6,63.68) – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John – At that time, 31the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus. 32And he said to them, “By the Father’s command I have shown you many good works. For which of them do you stone me?” 33The Jews answered, “We do not want to stone you for good works, but for blasphemy, because you, being a mere man, claim to be God.” 34Jesus said to them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35Now no one can break the Scripture. If the law calls those to whom the word of God came, gods, 36why then do you accuse me of blasphemy, saying that I am the Son of God, whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world? 37If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. 38But if I do, even if you do not believe me, believe my works, so that you may know and know that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39Again they tried to arrest Jesus, but he escaped their hands. 40Jesus crossed over to the place where John had baptized. And he stayed there. 41Many came to him and said, “John did no sign, but everything he said about this man is true.” 42Many believed in him there. – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

Jesus uses a technique common to the rabbis of his time: responding by commenting on a biblical text. In Psalm 82, we read the phrase that Jesus mentions in today’s Gospel: “I said: you are gods, you are all children of the Most High.” In fact, we are all created in the image and likeness of God, therefore “gods” because we are children of God. But the central issue of Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees is another. They accuse him of blasphemy, saying that, being a man, he shows himself as if he were God. They do not understand that Jesus, being God, assumed humanity: “He emptied himself, and took the form of a servant, being born in human likeness” (Phil 2:7). This logic is difficult to understand, except through the eyes of faith.

(Day by Day with the Gospel 2025 - P