Every Breath You Take | March 18, 2016

March 18, 2016

Jesus is in control, even of his own death. In today’s gospel we see that the community wanted to stone him to death for claiming to be God and it wasn’t their first attempt. It seems like just a few days ago, he was staring at an angry crowd of people trying to stone someone else, caught in adultery, and now him caught in performing miracles. This, however, was not the Father’s will and until it was the right time and day (as predicted by the prophet Daniel) and until it was done the right way with betrayal, trial, suffering, and execution with Jesus as a willing participant sacrificing his life in place of ours, it was not his hour. Jesus was aware of these things; therefore, he would escape death every time until it was time. And the same is true in our lives.

Jesus is in control, if we let him, and he knows the perfect time and timing for everything if we just trust him; trust that he and the Father are one, and their Spirit animates our every gift, our every moment of grace, our every growth spurt, our every sacrifice of love, our every twinkling of clarity, our every single blessing, and every breath we take. In God’s time all things are right and sometimes we must endure near death, staring into a crowd, falsely accused, and let Jesus cover us with his mercy, or step in front of us to deflect the stones. But we must never forget the end of the story, which is of course, resurrection, fruitfulness, growth, hope, and becoming who we are meant to be. Jesus is in control, which means love is at the helm. Have a blessed day.

Reading 1 JER 20:10-13

I hear the whisperings of many:
“Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!”
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
“Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.”
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!

Responsorial Psalm PS 18:2-3A, 3BC-4, 5-6, 7

R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears. 
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.

Verse Before The Gospel SEE JN 6:63C, 68C

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.

Gospel JN 10:31-42

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, ‘You are gods”‘? 
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.

He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. 
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.