Daily Catholic Mass Readings for April 17, 2019
First Reading: Isaiah 50.4-9a
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.8He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.9Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
Psalm 69
1Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.2I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.3I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.4More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?5O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.6Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel.7For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that dishonor has covered my face.8I have become a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my mother's sons.9For zeal for your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.11When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.12I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.13But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.14Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.15Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the pit close its mouth over me.16Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.17Hide not your face from your servant; for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.18Draw near to my soul, redeem me; ransom me because of my enemies!19You know my reproach, and my shame and my dishonor; my foes are all known to you.20Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair. I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.21They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.22Let their own table before them become a snare; and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.23Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually.24Pour out your indignation upon them, and let your burning anger overtake them.25May their camp be a desolation; let no one dwell in their tents.26For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.27Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you.28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.29But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!30I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.31This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.32When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.33For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.34Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves in them.35For God will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it;36the offspring of his servants shall inherit it, and those who love his name shall dwell in it.
Gospel: Matthew 26.14-26
14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests15and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.16And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?"18He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.20When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.21And as they were eating, he said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me."22And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?"23He answered, "He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me.24The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born."25Judas, who would betray him, answered, "Is it I, Rabbi?" He said to him, "You have said so."26Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter two powerful moments of faith and betrayal. The first reading from Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a servant who, despite suffering and humiliation, remains steadfast in his trust in God. The servant describes how he has been given the strength to endure insults and hardships, and he refuses to turn away from the path set before him. This passage is part of a series of “Suffering Servant” songs in Isaiah, which prophetically point to the Messiah who would endure suffering for the sake of others. The servant’s unwavering commitment to God’s will serves as a model of faith and perseverance in the face of adversity.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to the events leading up to the Last Supper. Here, we see the stark contrast between Judas’ betrayal and Jesus’ selfless love. Judas, driven by greed and his own desires, agrees to hand Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver. Meanwhile, Jesus gathers his disciples to share a final meal, instituting the Eucharist as a sign of his enduring love and presence among them. Even as Jesus reveals that one of his closest friends will betray him, he does not turn away from his mission. Instead, he gives himself fully to his disciples, offering his body and blood as a gift of life and redemption.
These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God and with others. Like the servant in Isaiah, we are called to trust in God’s plan, even when the path ahead seems uncertain or difficult. Like the disciples, we are called to receive the gift of Jesus’ presence in our lives and to live in gratitude for his sacrifice. At the same time, we are reminded of the reality of sin and betrayal—both in the world and in our own hearts. Let us ask ourselves: Where do we place our trust? How do we respond to suffering or betrayal? And how do we live out the love and self-giving that Jesus modeled for us? May we strive to follow Jesus’ example, offering ourselves in love and service to others, even as we acknowledge our own weaknesses and limitations.