First reading: Is. 50: 4-7
“The Lord God has given me a well-trained tongue, that I
might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I
may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who heat me, my
cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and
spitting.
The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I
have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.”
Second reading: Phil. 2: 6-11
“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Gospel reading: “THE
PASSION ACCOUNT” Mt. 27: 11-54 (Short form)
Due to its length the text will not be provided. Please refer to your own bible for the book,
chapter and verses listed above. Thank
you.
Introductory theme summary:
The common theme of today’s readings is best characterized
by the word forbearance. In the first
reading we have the foretelling of the Messiah who, though gifted with great
oratory skills, will persevere without retaliation despite being subjected to
horrible abuse. In the second reading we
have the clear declaration of Christ knowing His own divinity, yet choosing humility
and accepting the condition and fate of lowliness even to the point of
death. And then, of course, we have the
retelling of the supreme act of forbearance – undergoing a punishment in no way
deserved, but choosing to accept it on our behalf. Reflection:
Forbearance! The
forgotten virtue!! So much so that it
has become the “Holy Grail” of
Christianity!!! How terrible it is for
the essence of Christianity to become so overlooked and dispensed with that it
would seem no longer a part of our understanding of practicing faith. We must never forget, our Lord’s sacrifice is
an example for us to follow as well as the means for accomplishing our salvation. Yet how many of us are unwilling to refrain
from claiming an entitlement; unwilling to exercise patient endurance and
self-control; unwilling to abstain from the enforcement of a right according to
justice? As if this forgetfulness wasn’t
bad enough, we actually use Christianity to justify these assertions. In the end, rather than turning the other
cheek we have right fighting against right, all in the name of religion. How ridiculous! Yet, that is precisely what our world has
become.
The question then begs; where does justice fit in, aren’t we
supposed to practice justice? It would
be a mistake to interpret the practice of forbearance as a contradiction to the
principal of justice. We are always
called to practice justice in all our affairs of life, and defend the justice
of the weak and powerless whenever we are presented with such an opportunity. Failing to respond to the need of justice in
these situations are themselves sin. It
is on our own behalf that we must not seek our right in order to practice
forbearance. In the moment one seeks
his/her own right the opportunity to practice forbearance has been missed.
So why then? What is so
important about practicing forbearance? There
are two groups of Christians; those who respond completely to our Lord’s call “so
be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48), and those who
do not while sustaining their belief in Him.
Those who respond completely to this call are accepting the invitation
to advance the cause of salvation by joining their sufferings to the Lord’s,
and in doing so they take their place as members of Christ’s body hanging on
the cross. They succeed in becoming able
to do so by the grace they receive through the Eucharist. It becomes Christ who accomplishes all that
they do by His indwelling presence within them.
It is only by this distinguishing characteristic that we can know we
truly are children of God.[1]
So, come, let us show ourselves as true children of God and
practice forbearance for the cause of salvation.
[1] “But
what I tell you is this: Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors; only
so can you be children of your heavenly Father…” (Mt.5: 44-45 REB)
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