“Though I thought I had toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength, yet my reward is with the Lord, my recompense is with my God.” We hear these words from the prophet Isaiah this morning, helping us reflect upon how often on our journey of faith, we may be following what we think is the will of God in our lives, yet we feel that we have no results to show for it. Often, in our secular culture, we see success in the results we get, in what we produce, in how much profit we make, or in how many material possessions we accumulate. In our work life or in our personal life, we can be impatient if the results don’t come quickly. In the years I served as a lay missionary, results were often hard to recognize. I walked by faith in my missionary service, knowing that I was following the will of God.
The ways of our world are not often God’s ways. God’s plan leads us to salvation, not earthly accomplishment. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord says his people: I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
In our commemoration of Holy Week, we are called to accompany Jesus as he carries his cross. In our Gospel today, we hear Jesus tell his disciples about the end of his earthly journey, which is a part of God’s plan of salvation for all of humanity. May we never forget that God’s ways are often very radical compared to the ways of our world. As we complete our journey with Jesus during Holy Week, may we not lose sight of where we are going.
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