Daily Readings - Wed Mar 31 2021
Isaiah
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 confounded8He who justifies me is near. Who will speak against me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him approach me9Behold, the Lord God is my helper. Who is the one who would condemn me? Behold, they will all be worn away like a garment; the moth will devour them
Matthew
14Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the leaders of the priests15and he said to them, "What are you willing to give me, if I hand him over to you?" So they appointed thirty pieces of silver for him16And from then on, he sought an opportunity to betray him17Then, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?18So Jesus said, "Go into the city, to a certain one, and say to him: ‘The Teacher said: My time is near. I am observing the Passover with you, along with my disciples.’ 19And the disciples did just as Jesus appointed to them. And they prepared the Passover20Then, when evening arrived, he sat at table with his twelve disciples21And while they were eating, he said: "Amen I say to you, that one of you is about to betray me.22And being greatly saddened, each one of them began to say, "Surely, it is not I, Lord?23But he responded by saying: "He who dips his hand with me into the dish, the same will betray me24Indeed, the Son of man goes, just as it has been written about him. But woe to that man by whom the Son of man will be betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had not been born.25Then Judas, who betrayed him, responded by saying, "Surely, it is not I, Master?" He said to him, "You have said it.26Now while they were eating the meal, Jesus took bread, and he blessed and broke and gave it to his disciples, and he said: "Take and eat. This is my body.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments that invite us to reflect on trust, betrayal, and the unwavering fidelity of God. The first reading from Isaiah presents the figure of the Suffering Servant, who, despite enduring mockery, spitting, and rejection, remains steadfast in his trust in the Lord. The servant’s resolve is unshakable, for he knows that God is his helper and that he will not be put to shame. This passage is part of a series of “Suffering Servant” songs in Isaiah, which foreshadow the mission of Jesus Christ, who would endure similar trials for the sake of humanity.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to the events leading up to Jesus’ Passion. Here, we see the stark contrast between Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ act of self-giving love. Judas, driven by greed and his own desires, betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, while Jesus, in the same breath, institutes the Eucharist, offering his body and blood for the salvation of the world. This passage reminds us that betrayal and sin are real, but they do not have the final word. Instead, it is God’s love, poured out for us, that defines our story.
These readings call us to examine our own lives. Like the Suffering Servant, we are often called to trust in God even when the road ahead seems uncertain or difficult. Like Judas, we may at times choose our own way over God’s, but unlike Judas, we are invited to return to the Lord with repentant hearts. Jesus’ words at the Last Supper—“Take and eat, this is my body”—remind us that God’s love is always available to us, even in the midst of our failures. Let us strive to live with the same fidelity as the Suffering Servant, trusting in God’s plan, and let us approach the Eucharist with gratitude, knowing that it is a gift of love that transforms us and calls us to live for others.