Daily Catholic Lectio
Fri, 11 April ‘25
Fifth Week of Lent – Friday
Jeremiah 20:10–13. John 10:31–42
Crisis and God’ Presence
In the Bible, especially in the Psalms, there are many images that describe moments of crisis:
“I walked in narrow paths, but the Lord made my way wide,”
“I walked on slippery roads, and You kept my feet from slipping,”
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me.”
These verses show us that every time the psalmist goes through a difficult situation, he experiences God’s presence even more deeply. The consistent message of Scripture is this: In every moment of crisis, God’s presence abides.
Today’s readings bring before us two people who face crisis:
In the First Reading, we see the prophet Jeremiah surrendering before God: “O Lord, You have deceived me, and I was deceived!” As his own people and community rise up against him, and as he begins to feel like a failure in his prophetic mission, he wants to give up. But in that same moment of crisis, he says something beautiful and powerful: “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior.”
When someone in distress sees a warrior standing beside them with a sword drawn, their fear disappears, and confidence rises. Jeremiah experiences exactly this. How could Jeremiah sense God’s help during a crisis? Only those who believe that everything flows from God will be able to perceive His presence in difficult times.
In the Gospel, the conflict between Jesus and the Jews reaches a peak. They cannot accept Him calling God His Father. In response, they pick up stones to throw at Him. At this moment, Jesus tries to remind them that everyone is a child of God. But they do not understand.
When Jesus is left without any support, He still says: “The Father is in me, and I am in the Father.” These words reflect His unshakeable awareness of God’s presence even in isolation.
Today, when we face many kinds of crises—poverty, old age, loneliness, illness, death, loss—we must remember this truth: God is with us in the crisis.
You Are Gods!
“I have lost all faith in human beings. That’s why I even look both ways before crossing a one-way street.” – This was a quote from an Instagram post I saw last week.
We often place our trust in people—or are compelled to. From the milkman in the morning to the watchman at night, we rely on others. Sometimes they betray our trust. Or their actions make it difficult for us to trust again.
The Bible teaches us: Better to trust in God than in man. But how should we understand this trust in God? Does it mean we should remove all trust in people?
Jeremiah says, “Even my friends wait for me to fall…” Yet, he also declares, “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior.”
So, when human trust breaks down, Jeremiah turns to God as the anchor point of his mission. Even as his prophetic boat is tossed by storms, he finds steady grounding in God.
In the Gospel (John 10:31–42), the conflict continues. The Jews want to stone Jesus for claiming unity with God. Jesus points to His works and asks them to at least believe based on them. When they still do not, He reminds them of what Scripture says: “You are gods” (cf. Psalm 82:6).
So, when our trust in people weakens, we have two ways to respond:
(a) Cling to God as our anchor. (b) See the image of God even in others—despite their flaws—and treat them with mercy.
At the end of the Gospel passage, we read: “Many came to believe in Him.”
Faith, doubt, lack of faith, mistrust, overconfidence—life moves through all these.
Even when people stood before Jesus with stones in hand, He spoke to them. Why? Because He had self-confidence. Without faith in oneself, no other faith is possible.
Faith is to realise that God’s presence is with us during our crisis moments.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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