Daily Readings - Sun Apr 05 2020

⁴The Lord has given me a learned tongue, so that I would know how to uphold with a word, one who has weakened. He rises in the morning, he rises to my ear in the morning, so that I may heed him like a teacher⁵The Lord God has opened my ear. And I do not contradict him. I have not turned back⁶I have given my body to those who strike me, and my cheeks to those who plucked them. I have not averted my face from those who rebuked me and who spit on me⁷The Lord God is my helper. Therefore, I have not been confounded. Therefore, I have set my face like a very hard rock, and I know that I will not be confounded

Philippians

Chapter 2

⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be seized⁷Instead, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and accepting the state of a man⁸He humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, even the death of the Cross⁹Because of this, God has also exalted him and has given him a name which is above every name¹⁰so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee would bend, of those in heaven, of those on earth, and of those in hell¹¹and so that every tongue would confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father

Matthew

Chapter 27

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the procurator, and the procurator questioned him, saying, "You are the king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You are saying so.¹²And when he was accused by the leaders of the priests and the elders, he responded nothing¹³Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how much testimony they speak against you?¹⁴And he did not respond any word to him, so that the procurator wondered greatly¹⁵Now on the solemn day, the procurator was accustomed to release to the people one prisoner, whomever they wished¹⁶And at that time, he had a notorious prisoner, who was called Barabbas¹⁷Therefore, having been gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Who is it that you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?¹⁸For he knew that it was out of envy they had handed him over¹⁹But as he was sitting in the place for the tribunal, his wife sent to him, saying: "It is nothing to you, and he is just. For I have experienced many things today through a vision for his sake.²⁰But the leaders of the priests and the elders persuaded the people, so that they would ask for Barabbas, and so that Jesus would perish²¹Then, in response, the procurator said to them, "Which of the two do you want to be released to you?" But they said to him, "Barabbas.²²Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do about Jesus, who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified.²³The procurator said to them, "But what evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let him be crucified.²⁴Then Pilate, seeing that he was able to accomplish nothing, but that a greater tumult was occurring, taking water, washed his hands in the sight of the people, saying: "I am innocent of the blood of this just man. See to it yourselves.²⁵And the entire people responded by saying, "May his blood be upon us and upon our children.²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them. But Jesus, having been scourged, he handed over to them, so that he would be crucified²⁷Then the soldiers of the procurator, taking Jesus up to the praetorium, gathered the entire cohort around him²⁸And stripping him, they put a scarlet cloak around him²⁹And plaiting a crown of thorns, they placed it on his head, with a reed in his right hand. And genuflecting before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews.³⁰And spitting on him, they took the reed and struck his head³¹And after they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, and clothed him with his own garments, and they led him away to crucify him³²But as they were going out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, named Simon, whom they compelled to take up his cross³³And they arrived at the place which is called Golgotha, which is the place of Calvary³⁴And they gave him wine to drink, mixed with gall. And when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it³⁵Then, after they had crucified him, they divided his garments, casting lots, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying: "They divided my garments among them, and over my vestment they cast lots.³⁶And sitting down, they observed him³⁷And they set his accusation above his head, written as: THIS IS JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS³⁸Then two robbers were crucified with him: one on the right and one on the left³⁹But those passing by blasphemed him, shaking their heads⁴⁰and saying: "Ah, so you would destroy the temple of God and in three days rebuild it! Save your own self. If you are the Son of God, descend from the cross.⁴¹And similarly, the leaders of the priests, with the scribes and the elders, mocking him, said:⁴²"He saved others; he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him descend now from the cross, and we will believe in him⁴³He trusted in God; so now, let God free him, if he wills him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ⁴⁴Then, the robbers who were crucified with him also reproached him with the very same thing⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over the entire earth, even until the ninth hour⁴⁶And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: "Eli, Eli, lamma sabacthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?⁴⁷Then certain ones who were standing and listening there said, "This man calls upon Elijah.⁴⁸And one of them, running quickly, took a sponge and filled it with vinegar, and he set it on a reed and he gave it to him to drink⁴⁹Yet truly, the others said, "Wait. Let us see whether Elijah will come to free him.⁵⁰Then Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, gave up his life⁵¹And behold, the veil of the temple was torn into two parts, from top to bottom. And the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split apart⁵²And the tombs were opened. And many bodies of the saints, which had been sleeping, arose⁵³And going out from the tombs, after his resurrection, they went into the holy city, and they appeared to many⁵⁴Now the centurion and those who were with him, guarding Jesus, having seen the earthquake and the things that were done, were very fearful, saying: "Truly, this was the Son of God.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter profound reflections on humility, obedience, and redemption. The first reading from Isaiah portrays a figure who, despite suffering, remains steadfast in trust and obedience to God. This figure, often seen as a prefiguration of Christ, embodies the spirit of endurance and faith in the face of adversity. The second reading from Philippians beautifully complements this with its hymn to Christ’s humility. It reminds us that Jesus, though divine, emptied Himself to take on human form and endure death on the Cross, an act of profound love and obedience. The Gospel, from Matthew, vividly recounts the Passion of Jesus, where He endures betrayal, mockery, and crucifixion. These readings together invite us to reflect on the transformative power of humility and selfless love. The context of these readings is deeply rooted in the salvific mission of Christ. Isaiah’s prophecy sets the stage for understanding Jesus as the Suffering Servant, who bears the sins of many. Philippians provides a theological reflection on the significance of Christ’s humility and its ultimate glorification. The Passion narrative in Matthew is the dramatic fulfillment of these prophecies and hymns, showing how Jesus’s obedience unto death becomes the source of salvation. Together, these readings reveal how suffering, when united with love and obedience, leads to redemption and glory. In our daily lives, these readings call us to embrace humility and trust in God’s plan, even in the face of suffering or uncertainty. Jesus’s willingness to endure the Cross for our sake challenges us to live with selfless love and to see our struggles as opportunities to grow closer to Him. Let us reflect on how we might imitate Christ’s humility in our own lives, whether in relationships, work, or prayer. May we, like Him, set our faces “like a hard rock” in resolve to follow God’s will, trusting that our trials can lead to transformation and grace.