Daily Catholic Mass Readings for April 5, 2020
First Reading: Isaiah 50.4-7
4The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.5The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.6I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.7Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
Psalm 22
1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?2O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.4In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.5They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.6But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.7All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:8"He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."9Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.10From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.11Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.13Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.16Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.17I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.19But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.20Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.22I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.23You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!24For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.26The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him- may your hearts live forever!27All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,28for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him- those who cannot keep themselves alive.30Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.31They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn- for he has done it.
Second Reading: Philippians 2.6-11
6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,10that 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.
Gospel: Matthew 27.11-54
11Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.12When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.13Then Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?"14But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge--to the great amazement of the governor.15Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.16At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.17So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.19While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.21"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" asked the governor. "Barabbas," they answered.22"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!"23"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"25All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"26Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.27Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,29and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.30They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.31After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.32As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).34There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.35When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.36And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.37Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.38Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.39Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads40and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"41In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.42"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"44In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.49The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he 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.