Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
As we begin Holy Week, our readings take us from the joy and Hosannas of Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem to a profound contemplation of his suffering and death.
In the First Reading from Isaiah we meet the suffering servant: the disciple who suffers without offering resistance, but is supported by God so that he can bring life to others.
The Psalm will accompany us through the week, as well as being quoted by Matthew in our Gospel. It foreshadows Jesus’s sufferings but also hints at his future glory.
The Second Reading is a wonderful hymn which underlines Jesus’s divinity, but also his obedience and suffering before his exaltation and glory.
In the Gospel we hear the Passion narrative of St Matthew, in which Jesus is betrayed, mocked, denied, accused and crucified. His body is laid in the tomb, and a guard is placed to secure it.
This week, may we follow Christ in his Passion, holding each other, and our suffering and tortured world, in prayer. May Mary be with us in this journey and help us understand the value of following the example of her Son.
