Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity • Day 3 • January 20, 2012
.
Ecce
Homo, by Michael
O'Brien
.
Changed
by the Suffering Servant
Readings
• Isaiah
53:3-11 The man of sorrows accustomed to suffering
• Psalms
22:12-24 He did not despise the affliction of the of the afflicted
• 1
Peter 2:21-25 Christ suffered for us
• Luke
24:25-27 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things?
Commentary
The divine paradox is that God can change tragedy and disaster into
victory. He transforms all our sufferings and misfortunes, and the enormity
of history’s pain, into a resurrection that encompasses the whole world.
While appearing to be defeated, he is nevertheless the true Victory whom
no one and nothing can overcome.
Isaiah’s moving prophecy about the suffering Servant of the Lord was
completely fulfilled in Christ. After suffering enormous agony, the Man
of Sorrows shall see his offspring. We are that offspring, born
from the Savior’s suffering. In this way we are made one family in him.
One can say that Psalm 22 is not only about Jesus, but also for Jesus.
The Savior himself prayed this psalm on the cross, when he used its desolate
opening words: My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Yet in
the second part of the psalm the lamentation, the imploring full of pain,
changes into praise of God for his works.
The apostle Peter is a witness of the sufferings of Christ (1Peter
5:1), which he presents to us as an example: it is to this suffering for
the sake of love we are called. Jesus did not curse God, but submitted
to him who judges righteously. His wounds have healed us, and returned
us all to the one Shepherd. Only in the light of the presence of the Lord
and his word does the divine purpose of the Messiah’s sufferings become
clear.
Just as for the disciples on the way to Emmaus, Jesus is our constant
companion on the stony road of life, stirring our hearts and opening our
eyes to the mysterious plan of salvation. Christians experience suffering
as a result of humanity’s fragile condition; we recognize this suffering
in social injustice and situations of persecution. The power of the cross
draws us into unity. Here we encounter Christ’s suffering as the source
of compassion for and solidarity with the entire human family. As one contemporary
theologian puts it, the closer we come to the cross of Christ, the closer
we come to one another. The witness of Christians together in situations
of suffering assumes remarkable credibility. In our shared solidarity with
all who suffer we learn from the crucified suffering servant the lessons
of self-emptying, letting go and self-sacrifice. These are the gifts we
need from his Spirit on our way to unity in him.
Prayer
God of consolation, you have transformed the shame of the cross into
a sign of victory. Grant that we may be united around the Cross of your
Son to worship him for the mercy offered through his suffering. May the
Holy Spirit open our eyes and our hearts, so that we may help those who
suffer to experience your closeness; You who live and reign forever and
ever. Amen.
Family Reflection
– Doing the right thing sometimes costs
Being a school kid is not always easy. Imagine…one day you walk
out onto the school play area in a break. There is a younger kid crying
with a bunch of older children teasing him. You know the kid, he is two
years younger than you, and he lives next to your house, and your family
is friendly with his, but he is not a cool kid, and it does not surprise
you that he is being teased. What do you do? You know that if you step
in to help him, and get the other kids off his back, you may be teased
by them. But you also know that you should help him, that is the right
thing to do. Sometimes doing the right thing costs, and might even cause
you some suffering. What would you do? |
