In the middle of Holy Week, we hear the
prophet Isaiah foreshadow what Jesus is to endure in his passion as he makes
his journey to the cross. Jesus made his
way to the cross by not rebelling, by
not turning his back. As Isaiah
foreshadows, he does not give his back to those who beat him, nor his cheeks to
those who pluck out his beard. His face
does not shield him from the buffets, from all the indignities that are heaped
upon him.
Yet, Isaiah states, “The Lord God is my
help – therefore I am not disgraced.”
Even though Jesus was treated disgracefully, even though they tried to
shame him every way they could, Jesus, in reality, was not disgraced due to his
relationship with God. God’s reality is
different from what we human beings see on the surface of life. God brings grace and dignity to our lives,
most especially to the moments of difficulty and struggle and suffering that we
endure.
God so identifies with the poor, the
abandoned, and those that suffer. What
Pope Francis is doing tomorrow for the Holy Thursday services is a strong
demonstration of this identification.
Rather than celebrate tomorrows service at the basilicas of St Peter in
Vatican City or St John Lateran in Rome, Pope Francis will celebrate this
service in commemoration of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at a prison
facility for youth on the outskirts of Rome.
What an important message the pope is bringing to the world in his
actions, in living the Gospel message so strongly in that moment.
God did not abandon Jesus; he did not
abandon the martyrs who died for our faith.
In the midst of our suffering, in the midst of our struggles, in the
midst of our daily reality, God does not abandon us. God is there.
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