Friends,
As we continue our journey through the liturgical cycle, we have come to the 24th Sunday. The Lord is journeying with us, and he is opening our ears and eyes to hear and see the world around us. Journeying towards Jerusalem, he knows what will happen to him there. Jesus will suffer and die, a suffering Servant and our Messiah. He is also asking us to get behind him on the journey he will lead. In other words, the Lord is inviting us to be resilient in our suffering and struggles.
In the first reading, the Servant is not guilty, yet he suffers in humility and docility. The resilience of the suffering Servant can teach us to be resilient in our present-day challenges, struggles, and sufferings. Ours comes from the knowledge that the Lord is with us. Therefore, let us ask to grow in a resilient spirit like that of the Servant.
The Psalmist welcomes us to acquire that spirit by walking in the presence of the Lord. He answers us when we call him, delivers us, and saves us. He is a gracious Lord, and we should love and believe him. Likewise, St. James teaches us what true faith looks like, and as the Psalmist sings, faith makes us walk in the presence of the Lord while we live. It fills us with a spirit like a resilient Servant in the first reading who prefigures Jesus, the suffering Servant, and Messiah.
The spirit expressed by Jesus is to accept our struggles of pain and suffering and pay attention to the pain and suffering of others. Let us ask for the humble spirit to take up our cross and follow Jesus. He leads the way and wants us to follow him with courage and resilience after knowing he is the Messiah. This week, therefore, take up the cross and follow Jesus. Help others to do so.
Joy and peace.
