Disciples at the feet of the cross

Listening to the Spirit

All glory, praise, and honor
To you, Redeemer, King!
To whom the lips of children
Made glad hosannas ring.

You are the King of Israel,
And David’s royal Son,
Who in the Lord’s Name comest
The King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
Are praising you on high;
And mortal men and all things
Created make reply.

The people of the Hebrews
With palms before you went:
Our praise and prayer and anthems
Before you we present.

To you before your Passion
They sang their hymns of praise:
To you, now high exalted
Our melody we raise.

As once you did accept their praise,
Accept the praise we bring,
You who rejoice in ev’ry good,
Our good and gracious King.

(Hymn from the morning prayers)

Listening to the Word

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 beat 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.

Reflection

Reading slowly these words of the prophet Isaiah, do I identify myself with the disciple or rather with the weary?

The prophet Isaiah in his book was addressing the people of Israel during their exile in Babylon. They were discouraged, feeling hopeless and they did not believe anymore that God could save them.

In a certain way, we are experiencing the same situation. The Covid-19 pandemic is making our lives very hard and the recent surge is provoking in us, once again, discouragement. We are also deprived of celebrating mass with our Christian Communities and other religious activities are forbidden so that the approaching Holy Week will be lived only through on-line broadcasting.

So, in this very moment, do I feel that I am weary or rather a disciple?

Most probably we experience both conditions.

We feel the need to meet, to come together, to embrace, to share. Because of these deprivations, we experience of being weary. But at the same time, because of Jesus, because we contemplate him on the Cross, we continue to be DISCIPLES.

Truly God gives us “a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.” (Is 50,4).

How can it happen? Because, “morning after morning”, daily, not once in a while, the Lord is addressing us with His Word, and He is opening our ears. This is a very important aspect of our life: LISTENING. It means to make space to God, to keep silent so that He can talk to us, he can reveal His will and can fill us with His Word. God talks to our hearts in silence.

We can try to find out good and consoling words, but they need to be inspired by Him. This good news, received every morning, is a gift, and therefore it is a duty for us to share it, to witness it, to go on talking about the Lord, taking even the risk of being humiliated, mocked because of His Word: “I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me.” (Is 50,6)

Maybe we are discouraged, we do not see a prosperous future in front of us, but the prophet says: “THE LORD IS MY HELP.” (Is 50,7) I am not left alone; I am not left behind. Nobody is abandoned by the Father, despite his/her sin, despite his/her condition. We are loved, by Jesus the one who was crucified. Looking at the Crucifix, we can experience this real Love. Jesus, who is pending on the Cross, is really our deep desire: on Good Friday we really wish to kiss his feet, because we are grateful to Him, to His love, offered until the end!