Daily Readings - Sun Mar 25 2018

⁴The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.⁵The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.⁶I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.⁷But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.

Philippians

Chapter 2

⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,⁷but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.⁸And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.⁹Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Mark

Chapter 15

¹And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. And they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate.²And Pilate asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" And he answered him, "You have said so."³And the chief priests accused him of many things.⁴And Pilate again asked him, "Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you."⁵But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.⁶Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked.⁷And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas.⁸And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them.⁹And he answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?"¹⁰For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.¹²And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?"¹³And they cried out again, "Crucify him."¹⁴And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him."¹⁵So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.¹⁶And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.¹⁷And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.¹⁸And they began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"¹⁹And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.²⁰And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.²¹And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.²²And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).²³And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.²⁴And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.²⁵And it was the third hour when they crucified him.²⁶And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews."²⁷And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.²⁸See Footnote²⁹And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!"³¹So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself.³²Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.³³And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.³⁴And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"³⁵And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah."³⁶And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down."³⁷And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.³⁸And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.³⁹And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound reflections on humility, trust, and the ultimate sacrifice of love. The first reading from Isaiah presents a figure who, despite suffering, remains steadfast in faith, trusting in God's plan without turning back. This figure, often seen as a prophecy of Jesus, embodies perseverance and unwavering trust in the face of adversity. The second reading from Philippians delves into the theological significance of Jesus' humility. It explains how Jesus, though divine, emptied Himself to take on human form and obediently accepted death on the cross. This act of humility is met with exaltation, highlighting the transformative power of selfless love and obedience. The Gospel from Mark vividly narrates the crucifixion, fulfilling the prophecy and embodying the humility discussed in Philippians. It shows Jesus enduring betrayal, mockery, and death, yet remaining faithful, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the suffering servant. In our daily lives, these readings invite us to embrace humility and trust in God, even in difficult times. Just as Jesus trusted in His Father's plan, we too can find strength in trusting God's will. The moral lesson here is the value of selfless love and obedience. Let us strive to live out these teachings, embracing humility and trust, allowing Jesus' example to guide us in our own journeys of faith.