Daily Readings - Sun Mar 28 2021

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

Mark

Chapter 15

¹And immediately in the morning, after the leaders of the priests had taken counsel with the elders and the scribes and the entire council, binding Jesus, they led him away and delivered him to Pilate²And Pilate questioned him, "You are the king of the Jews?" But in response, he said to him, "You are saying it.³And the leaders of the priests accused him in many things⁴Then Pilate again questioned him, saying: "Do you not have any response? See how greatly they accuse you.⁵But Jesus continued to give no response, so that Pilate wondered⁶Now on the feast day, he was accustomed to release to them one of the prisoners, whomever they requested⁷But there was one called Barabbas, who had committed murder in the sedition, who was confined with those of the sedition⁸And when the crowd had ascended, they began to petition him to do as he always did for them⁹But Pilate answered them and said, "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?¹⁰For he knew that it was out of envy that the leaders of the priests had betrayed him¹¹Then the chief priests incited the crowd, so that he would release Barabbas to them instead¹²But Pilate, responding again, said to them: "Then what do you want me to do with the king of the Jews?¹³But again they cried out, "Crucify him.¹⁴Yet truly, Pilate said to them: "Why? What evil has he done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify him.¹⁵Then Pilate, wishing to satisfy the people, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, having severely scourged him, to be crucified¹⁶Then the soldiers led him away to the court of the praetorium. And they called together the entire cohort¹⁷And they clothed him with purple. And platting a crown of thorns, they placed it on him¹⁸And they began to salute him: "Hail, king of the Jews.¹⁹And they struck his head with a reed, and they spit on him. And kneeling down, they reverenced him²⁰And after they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple, and they clothed him in his own garments. And they led him away, so that they might crucify him²¹And they compelled a certain passerby, Simon the Cyrenian, who was arriving from the countryside, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to take up his cross²²And they led him through to the place called Golgotha, which means, ‘the Place of Calvary.²³And they gave him wine with myrrh to drink. But he did not accept it²⁴And while crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots over them, to see who would take what²⁵Now it was the third hour. And they crucified him²⁶And the title of his case was written as: THE KING OF THE JEWS²⁷And with him they crucified two robbers: one at his right, and the other at his left²⁸And the scripture was fulfilled, which says: "And with the iniquitous he was reputed.²⁹And the passersby blasphemed him, shaking their heads and saying, "Ah, you who would destroy the temple of God, and in three days rebuild it³⁰save yourself by descending from the cross.³¹And similarly the leaders of the priests, mocking him with the scribes, said to one another: "He saved others. He is not able to save himself³²Let the Christ, the king of Israel, descend now from the cross, so that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also insulted him³³And when the sixth hour arrived, a darkness occurred over the entire earth, until the ninth hour³⁴And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani?" which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?³⁵And some of those standing near, upon hearing this, said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah.³⁶Then one of them, running and filling a sponge with vinegar, and placing it around a reed, gave it to him to drink, saying: "Wait. Let us see if Elijah will come to take him down.³⁷Then Jesus, having emitted a loud cry, expired³⁸And the veil of the temple was torn in two, from the top to the bottom³⁹Then the centurion who stood opposite him, seeing that he had expired while crying out in this way, said: "Truly, this man was the Son of God.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound themes of humility, trust, and selfless love. The first reading from Isaiah presents a prophet who, despite suffering, remains steadfast in his trust in God, enduring hardships without turning back. This passage, part of the Suffering Servant songs, sets the stage for the ultimate Servant, Jesus Christ. The second reading from Philippians beautifully captures the essence of Christ's humility. He, who was divine, emptied himself to take on human form, obeying God's will even unto death. This hymn highlights the depths of Christ's love and the exaltation that followed his humility. The Gospel narrative from Mark vividly portrays Jesus's journey through betrayal, mockery, and crucifixion. Despite the injustice and pain, Jesus remains silent and endures, embodying the humility and trust spoken of in the earlier readings. His Passion is the fulfillment of the prophecies, showing how his self-giving love leads to redemption. These readings are intricately connected, with Isaiah foreshadowing Christ, Philippians explaining the theological significance of his actions, and the Gospel illustrating the culmination of his humility in his death. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to embrace humility and trust in God, especially during trials. Just as Jesus endured the cross, we can face our struggles with faith, knowing that true strength lies in humility. Let us strive to emulate Christ's selfless love in our relationships and challenges, trusting that our obedience and endurance will bring about a deeper connection with God. The moral lesson is clear: humility and trust in God, even in suffering, lead to redemption and exaltation, transforming our struggles into opportunities for growth and grace.