Today's first reading from the Book of Jeremiah shows us a prophet who is under attack from evil men. This reading is very important for us as well because it shows us methods that evil uses to destroy everyone who wants to live a life of love, truth and righteousness.

The first of these methods is fear. Fear is a great danger for every disciple of Jesus because it brings a spirit of discouragement and disbelief. We lose hope and trust in God when we fear.

The second method used by evil to attack righteous people is false accusation. We cannot be surprised when we discover around us people who will call us bigots or extremist only because we want to live the true Gospel life - a life of faithfulness to God's law and the teaching of the Church.

The third method prevents us to live a life of faith and love and tempts us to make our own choices disregarding the will of God. This temptation comes especially when we realize that faith doesn't necessarily make our life easier; however we should always remember that as Christians, we are disciples of Jesus who offered His life as a sacrifice for our salvation.

"Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil men."