Friday of the 4th Week of Lent
First Reading
Wisdom 2:1,12–22
The godless say to themselves, with their misguided reasoning:
“Our life is short and dreary,
nor is there any relief when man’s end comes,
nor is anyone known who can give release from Hades.
Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he annoys us
and opposes our way of life,
reproaches us for our breaches of the law
and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing.
He claims to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a son of the Lord.
Before us he stands, a reproof to our way of thinking,
the very sight of him weighs our spirits down;
his way of life is not like other men’s,
the paths he treads are unfamiliar.
In his opinion we are counterfeit;
he holds aloof from our doings as though from filth;
he proclaims the final end of the virtuous as happy
and boasts of having God for his father.
Let us see if what he says is true,
let us observe what kind of end he himself will have.
If the virtuous man is God’s son, God will take his part
and rescue him from the clutches of his enemies.
Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death
since he will be looked after – we have his word for it.”
This is the way they reason, but they are misled,
their malice makes them blind.
They do not know the hidden things of God,
they have no hope that holiness will be rewarded,
they can see no reward for blameless souls.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 33(34):16,18,19–21,23
The Lord turns his face against the wicked
to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
The Lord hears the cry of the just
and rescues them in all their distress.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted;
those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
Many are the trials of the just man
but from them all the Lord will rescue him.
He will keep guard over all his bones,
not one of his bones shall be broken.
The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants;
those who hide in him shall not be condemned.
Psalm Summary:
God does not ignore suffering — he draws especially close to those who are broken or under pressure. The just may face many trials, but God’s presence and rescue remain constant.
Gospel
John 7:1–2,10,25–30
Jesus stayed in Galilee; he could not stay in Judaea, because the Jews were out to kill him.
As the Jewish feast of Tabernacles drew near, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went up as well, but quite privately, without drawing attention to himself.
Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying,
“Isn’t this the man they want to kill?
And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him!
Can it be true the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ?
Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from.”
Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out:
“Yes, you know me
and you know where I came from.
Yet I have not come of myself:
no, there is one who sent me
and I really come from him,
and you do not know him,
but I know him because I have come from him
and it was he who sent me.”
They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Reflection
The first reading from Wisdom is striking because it sounds so familiar. The “virtuous man” is not attacked for wrongdoing, but for being different. His life exposes the behaviour of others, and that alone makes him a target.
This reveals something deeply human. When confronted with truth, people do not always respond with openness. Sometimes they resist, deflect, or even attack. The Catechism speaks to this tension — sin can darken our understanding and make us resistant to truth (CCC 1849), and without God, human reasoning becomes distorted (CCC 37).
The reading almost reads like a prophecy of Christ. The language — “he calls himself a son of the Lord” — echoes directly in the life of Jesus. What begins as opposition to a “virtuous man” finds its fulfilment in rejection of the Son of God.
In the Gospel, we see this unfolding in real time.
Jesus is moving carefully, aware of the growing hostility around him. People are confused about who he is. Some recognise something significant; others dismiss him because they think they understand his origins. This reflects a deeper issue — knowing about Jesus is not the same as truly knowing him (CCC 151).
What stands out is that despite the pressure, Jesus does not withdraw from his mission. He continues teaching, continues revealing the Father, and continues moving forward with purpose. Yet there is also a sense of divine timing: “his time had not yet come.”
This is important. Jesus is not driven by fear, nor by human expectation. His actions are aligned completely with the will of the Father (CCC 2824). Even opposition does not disrupt that alignment.
For us, this can be confronting and encouraging at the same time.
Living with integrity, faith, and truth may not always be easy. At times, it may even create tension in relationships, workplaces, or communities. The experience of being misunderstood or resisted is not new — it is part of the pattern we see in Scripture.
But the readings also remind us that God remains close. The Psalm speaks clearly: the Lord is near to the broken-hearted. This is not abstract comfort — it is a promise of real presence.
There is also a deeper assurance: God’s timing and purpose are not undone by opposition. Just as Jesus’ mission could not be stopped before its appointed time, God’s work in our lives continues even when circumstances feel uncertain.
Faith, then, is not just about believing when things are easy. It is about remaining steady when they are not — trusting that God sees, knows, and continues to guide.
One line to carry today:
Stay faithful — even when it costs you.
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