A TRUE ENCOUNTER OF THE RISEN LORD SETS US FREE FROM FEAR

20240401 A TRUE ENCOUNTER OF THE RISEN LORD SETS US FREE FROM FEAR

 

 

01 April 2024, Easter Monday

First reading

Acts 2:14,22-33 ©

God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to this

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David says of him:

I saw the Lord before me always,

for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me.

So my heart was glad

and my tongue cried out with joy;

my body, too, will rest in the hope

that you will not abandon my soul to Hades

nor allow your holy one to experience corruption.

You have made known the way of life to me,

you will fill me with gladness through your presence.

‘Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried: his tomb is still with us. But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, what he foresaw and spoke about was the resurrection of the Christ: he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption. God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witnesses to that. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.’

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 15(16):1-2,5,7-11 ©

Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.

or

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.

  I say to the Lord: ‘You are my God.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup;

  it is you yourself who are my prize.’

Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.

or

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,

  who even at night directs my heart.

I keep the Lord ever in my sight:

  since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.

or

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;

  even my body shall rest in safety.

For you will not leave my soul among the dead,

  nor let your beloved know decay.

Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.

or

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

You will show me the path of life,

  the fullness of joy in your presence,

  at your right hand happiness for ever.

Preserve me, Lord, I take refuge in you.

or

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sequence

Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

  offer sacrifice and praise.

The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;

and Christ, the undefiled,

hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended:

  combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain,

  yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: 

  say what thou didst see 

  upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose;

I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting;

shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen:

he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen

  from the dead we know.

Victorious king, thy mercy show!

---

Gospel Acclamation

Ps117:24

Alleluia, alleluia!

This day was made by the Lord:

we rejoice and are glad.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel

Matthew 28:8-15 ©

Tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee: they will see me there

Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.

  And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’

  While they were on their way, some of the guard went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

 

A TRUE ENCOUNTER OF THE RISEN LORD SETS US FREE FROM FEAR

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 2:14, 22-33; MT 28:8-15]

There are different kinds of fear in life.  There is the fear that springs from the need to protect ourselves and our interests.  This was the fear of the soldiers after their dreadful encounter with the angel.  “And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.”  (Mt 28:2-4) Indeed, they were so fearful that they became frozen.  Such kinds of fear cripple us.  But because they had no faith, they did not hear the words of the angels, nor did they meet the Risen Lord.  Because they were afraid to be penalized for failing to keep guard over the body of Jesus, they reported the matter to the religious leaders.

Then we have the fear of the religious leaders who were afraid to lose their credibility and power.  Instead of examining the truth of the matter, they sought to hide the truth from the public. “These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.'”  Fear led to lies and deception and bribery.

But there is another kind of fear that does not paralyze us.  Rather, it sets us free from all fears.   This is the holy fear in the presence of God.   It fills one with awe and great joy, as in the case of the women who met the angel who said to them, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”   (Mt 28:5-8)    Such an encounter set them free from fear, knowing that the Lord has been raised. When He is with us, we cannot contain the joy in us.  It is significant that those of us who have genuine religious experiences are not filled with fear but with gratitude and wonder.  But those who have encounters with the Evil One are filled with fear and are paralyzed from living a life of freedom.

What is significant is that in their process of running to inform the disciples of the message from the angel they encountered the Risen Lord themselves.  “And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.'” It appears that as we believe in faith like the women that the Lord is risen, we will also see Him.  This was why the soldiers and the priests did not see the Risen Lord even though they knew what happened because they did not have faith.  To those who have faith and seek to evangelize Him, they will encounter Jesus in the process.

Such is the Good News they received, and it had to be shared.  So “filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.”  Indeed, if it is Good News, we will run quickly, like the women, to share with others.  Consequently, the measure of our faith in the Risen Lord is seen in our desire to share the Good News of His resurrection with others.  St Peter, at Pentecost with the Eleven, testified to Jesus after receiving the Holy Spirit.  “God raised this man Jesus to life, and all of us are witness to that.  ‘Now raised to the heights by God’s hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit’.”

But how does one come to faith in the resurrection?  We begin with a sense of wonder.  We read that the people were amazed at what they encountered when the Holy Spirit came upon them. There were devout Jews from every nation, each one heard them speaking in their native language. They were amazed and astonished.  Indeed, when God comes into our lives, we are filled with wonder and amazement. “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” (cf Acts 2:5-13) Every religious encounter begins with a sense of wonder.  What happened? 

A religious experience needs an explanation; otherwise it is an empty experience. It was true in the case of the women and the apostles in their encounter with the angel and the Risen Lord.  Perhaps, most of us have such wondrous experience in life.  But we missed it because no one helped us to understand the significance of such an experience.  Some of us, because of ignorance, brushed it off as some coincidence, or dismiss it as some emotional outburst or hallucination.  This is why when we have some religious experience, we need to search and find the significance of what God wants to reveal to us.

Fortunately, for the women, they had the grace of the angel to explain to them the significance of the empty tomb, and later the assurance of our Lord that He is risen.  So, too, for the apostles, they receive the grace of encountering Him because, like the women, they were people of faith. They were not closed to encountering God in Jesus because their minds and hearts were open even though it took them some time to come to understand what was happening.  It was the same story for the diverse crowd that gathered in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost.  After the spectacular experience of xenoglossia, that is, hearing in their own language when the apostles were speaking their native language, they needed explanation.

So Peter began by going back to the historical facts.  He said, “Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say: Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know. This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified by men outside the Law. You killed him, but God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades.”

But historical facts, whilst important to make sense of our experience, cannot provide the meaning.  It has to be supplemented by revelation in scriptures.  Jesus helped the disciples at Emmaus to understand His passion and resurrection by going through the teaching of Moses and the prophets, “He interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.”  (Lk 24:27) Peter, starting from the historical facts, brought them through the scriptures, quoting David who said, “My body, too, will rest in the hope that you will not abandon my soul to Hades nor allow your holy one to experience corruption. You have made known the way of life to me, you will fill me with gladness through your presence.” Peter concluded that this prophecy was in reference to the Messiah and made in view of the resurrection of the Christ because “he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not experience corruption.”  It could not be referring to himself since David died and was buried.

So, today, as we celebrate the Monday after Easter Sunday, which is traditionally so-called Angel’s Monday, we are reminded to be like the angels who were messengers of the Good News.   Before we can do that, we need to imbue ourselves with the scriptures to help us understand our Easter experiences.  As the psalmist says, “I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel who even at night directs my heart.”  God will lead us to encounter Him if we remain open in faith.  And even if we do not yet encounter Him radically yet, by sharing about Him, we too will come to a deeper faith and encounter as we see the effects of those who are touched by what we share.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved. 

 

INNOCENT SUFFERING AS A VICARIOUS SACRIFICE

20240329 INNOCENT SUFFERING AS A VICARIOUS SACRIFICE

 

 

29 March 2024, Good Friday

First reading

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 ©

The servant of the Lord, an expiatory Sacrifice

See, my servant will prosper,

he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights.

As the crowds were appalled on seeing him

– so disfigured did he look

that he seemed no longer human –

so will the crowds be astonished at him,

and kings stand speechless before him;

for they shall see something never told

and witness something never heard before:

‘Who could believe what we have heard,

and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’

Like a sapling he grew up in front of us,

like a root in arid ground.

Without beauty, without majesty we saw him,

no looks to attract our eyes;

a thing despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering,

a man to make people screen their faces;

he was despised and we took no account of him.

And yet ours were the sufferings he bore,

ours the sorrows he carried.

But we, we thought of him as someone punished,

struck by God, and brought low.

Yet he was pierced through for our faults,

crushed for our sins.

On him lies a punishment that brings us peace,

and through his wounds we are healed.

We had all gone astray like sheep,

each taking his own way,

and the Lord burdened him

with the sins of all of us.

Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly,

he never opened his mouth,

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter-house,

like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers

never opening its mouth.

By force and by law he was taken;

would anyone plead his cause?

Yes, he was torn away from the land of the living;

for our faults struck down in death.

They gave him a grave with the wicked,

a tomb with the rich,

though he had done no wrong

and there had been no perjury in his mouth.

The Lord has been pleased to crush him with suffering.

If he offers his life in atonement,

he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life

and through him what the Lord wishes will be done.

His soul’s anguish over

he shall see the light and be content.

By his sufferings shall my servant justify many,

taking their faults on himself.

Hence I will grant whole hordes for his tribute,

he shall divide the spoil with the mighty,

for surrendering himself to death

and letting himself be taken for a sinner,

while he was bearing the faults of many

and praying all the time for sinners.

---

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 30(31):2,6,12-13,15-17,25 ©

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge.

  Let me never be put to shame.

In your justice, set me free,

Into your hands I commend my spirit.

  It is you who will redeem me, Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

In the face of all my foes

  I am a reproach,

an object of scorn to my neighbours

  and of fear to my friends.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Those who see me in the street

  run far away from me.

I am like a dead man, forgotten in men’s hearts,

  like a thing thrown away.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

But as for me, I trust in you, Lord;

  I say: ‘You are my God.

My life is in your hands, deliver me

  from the hands of those who hate me.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Let your face shine on your servant.

  Save me in your love.’

Be strong, let your heart take courage,

  all who hope in the Lord.

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

---

Second reading

Hebrews 4:14-16,5:7-9 ©

The Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us

Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must never let go of the faith that we have professed. For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.

  During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation.

---

Gospel Acclamation

Phil2:8-9

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

Christ was humbler yet,

even to accepting death, death on a cross.

But God raised him high

and gave him the name which is above all names.

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

---

Gospel

John 18:1-19:42 ©

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

Key: N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.

  N. Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kedron valley. There was a garden there, and he went into it with his disciples. Judas the traitor knew the place well, since Jesus had often met his disciples there, and he brought the cohort to this place together with a detachment of guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees, all with lanterns and torches and weapons. Knowing everything that was going to happen to him, Jesus then came forward and said,

  ✠ Who are you looking for?

  N. They answered, 

  C. Jesus the Nazarene.

  N. He said, 

  ✠ I am he.

  N. Now Judas the traitor was standing among them. When Jesus said, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. He asked them a second time,

  ✠ Who are you looking for?

  N. They said,

  C. Jesus the Nazarene.

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ I have told you that I am he. If I am the one you are looking for, let these others go.

  N. This was to fulfil the words he had spoken, ‘Not one of those you gave me have I lost.’

  Simon Peter, who carried a sword, drew it and wounded the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

  ✠ Put your sword back in its scabbard; am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?

  N. The cohort and its captain and the Jewish guards seized Jesus and bound him. They took him first to Annas, because Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had suggested to the Jews, ‘It is better for one man to die for the people.’

  Simon Peter, with another disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple, who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s palace, but Peter stayed outside the door. So the other disciple, the one known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who was keeping the door and brought Peter in. The maid on duty at the door said to Peter,

  O. Aren’t you another of that man’s disciples?

  N. He answered,

  O. I am not.

  N. Now it was cold, and the servants and guards had lit a charcoal fire and were standing there warming themselves; so Peter stood there too, warming himself with the others.

  The high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered,

  ✠ I have spoken openly for all the world to hear; I have always taught in the synagogue and in the Temple where all the Jews meet together: I have said nothing in secret. But why ask me? Ask my hearers what I taught: they know what I said.

  N. At these words, one of the guards standing by gave Jesus a slap in the face, saying,

  O. Is that the way to answer the high priest?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ If there is something wrong in what I said, point it out; but if there is no offence in it, why do you strike me?

  N. Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

  As Simon Peter stood there warming himself, someone said to him,

  O. Aren’t you another of his disciples?

  N. He denied it, saying,

  O. I am not.

  N. One of the high priest’s servants, a relation of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said,

  O. Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?

  N. Again Peter denied it; and at once a cock crew.

  They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves or they would be defiled and unable to eat the passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said,

  O. What charge do you bring against this man?

  N. They replied,

  C. If he were not a criminal, we should not be handing him over to you.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.

  N. The Jews answered,

  C. We are not allowed to put a man to death.

  N. This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die.

  So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him, and asked,

  O. Are you the king of the Jews?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others spoken to you about me?

  N. Pilate answered,

  O. Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. So you are a king, then?

  N. Jesus answered,

  ✠ It is you who say it. Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this: to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Truth? What is that?

  N. and with that he went out again to the Jews and said,

  O. I find no case against him. But according to a custom of yours I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?

  N. At this they shouted:

  C. Not this man, but Barabbas.

  N. Barabbas was a brigand.

  Pilate then had Jesus taken away and scourged; and after this, the soldiers twisted some thorns into a crown and put it on his head, and dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him and saying,

  C. Hail, king of the Jews!

  N. and they slapped him in the face.

  Pilate came outside again and said to them,

  O. Look, I am going to bring him out to you to let you see that I find no case.

  N. Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said,

  O. Here is the man.

  N. When they saw him the chief priests and the guards shouted,

  C. Crucify him! Crucify him!

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Take him yourselves and crucify him: I can find no case against him.

  N. The Jews replied,

  C. We have a Law, and according to that Law he ought to die, because he has claimed to be the Son of God.

  N. When Pilate heard them say this his fears increased. Re-entering the Praetorium, he said to Jesus

  O. Where do you come from?

  N. But Jesus made no answer. Pilate then said to him,

  O. Are you refusing to speak to me? Surely you know I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?

  N. Jesus replied,

  ✠ You would have no power over me if it had not been given you from above; that is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater guilt.

  N. From that moment Pilate was anxious to set him free, but the Jews shouted,

  C. If you set him free you are no friend of Caesar’s; anyone who makes himself king is defying Caesar.

  N. Hearing these words, Pilate had Jesus brought out, and seated himself on the chair of judgement at a place called the Pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. It was Passover Preparation Day, about the sixth hour. Pilate said to the Jews,

  O. Here is your king.

  N. They said,

  C. Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!

  N. Pilate said,

  O. Do you want me to crucify your king?

  N. The chief priests answered,

  C. We have no king except Caesar.

  N. So in the end Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

  They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.’ This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate,

  C. You should not write ‘King of the Jews,’ but ‘This man said: “I am King of the Jews.”’

  N. Pilate answered,

  O. What I have written, I have written.

  N. When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus they took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem; so they said to one another,

  C. Instead of tearing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.

  N. In this way the words of scripture were fulfilled:

  They shared out my clothing among them.

  They cast lots for my clothes.

This is exactly what the soldiers did.

  Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother,

  ✠ Woman, this is your son.

  N. Then to the disciple he said,

  ✠ This is your mother.

  N. And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.

  After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said:

  ✠ I am thirsty.

  N. A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said,

  ✠ It is accomplished;

  N. and bowing his head he gave up his spirit. 

  Here all kneel and pause for a short time. 

  It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it – trustworthy evidence, and he knows he speaks the truth – and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:

  Not one bone of his will be broken;

and again, in another place scripture says:

  They will look on the one whom they have pierced.

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus – though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews – asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. Nicodemus came as well – the same one who had first come to Jesus at night-time – and he brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, following the Jewish burial custom. At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in this garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there.

 

INNOCENT SUFFERING AS A VICARIOUS SACRIFICE

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SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISA 52:13-53:12; HEB 4:14-16; 5:7-9; JOHN 18:1-19:42]

We all go through suffering in life.  No one is exempted from suffering, not even Jesus the Son of God, not even God Himself!  But we all suffer from different causes and for different reasons.  Some of our sufferings are caused by our sins that come from foolish thoughts, unwise words and hurtful actions.  In other words, what we reap is what we sow.  If we accept these sufferings positively, then as the letter of Hebrews say, we can learn obedience to God’s will and truth.  But there are sufferings that come from natural causes, human infirmity and bereavement.  This is part of nature in a disordered world and we have to accept them humbly as God’s mystery in creation.  However, the greatest form of suffering which we find difficult to accept is innocent suffering caused by man’s selfishness and evil.   We suffer unjustly when we are condemned for an offence that we did not commit, or the consequences of other’s sins and negligence.  Unjustified suffering is the most difficult to accept in life.  We all feel the need to justify ourselves and clear our name so that the truth would be revealed.

Yet among the different forms of suffering, unjust suffering is what can truly change lives and turn hatred to love.  In the first letter of Peter, he wrote, “it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.”  (1 Pt 2:19-21)

The three scripture readings show us how Jesus suffered innocently and unjustly.   Jesus suffered for the truth of God’s Kingdom.  When Pilate asked Jesus whether He was the King of the Jews, Jesus made it clear, “Mine is not a kingdom of this world: If my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews.”  But Jesus did not deny His kingship.  In reply to Pilate, Jesus said, “Yes, I am a King, I was born for this, I came into the world for this; to bear witness to the truth, and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.”  So Jesus came to the world to reveal the truth about man and about God, about what is right and true.

In the trial before Pilate, St John showed that those who were on trial were the chief priests, Pilate and the crowd.  The chief priests were bent on having Jesus put to death because He was a threat to the religious institution and their status quo.  They connived all kinds of reasons to put Him to death.  But because they had no power to put a man to death, they had to accuse Him of a political crime, that Jesus was a rebel by claiming Himself to be the King of the Jews.  But as the trial unfolded, the real motive was unveiled because Jesus called Himself the Son of God.  It was a religious crime.  Even then, in itself, the title “Son of God” is ambiguous as a charge as Israel and the King of Israel was also called the son of God.

But it was not just the chief priests alone who were on trial; Pilate too!  He knew the truth but he sought to rationalize the truth away.  Clearly, he knew that Jesus was wrongly accused.  But instead of acting rightly, he sought to have Jesus scourged and beaten in order to appease the crowd so that they might not ask for His crucifixion.  He even sought to use Barabbas as a bait to deter them from crucifying the Lord.  His judgment was clear, “I find no case against him.” To save himself from an unpopular decision, he made a compromise, “according to a custom of yours, I should release one prisoner at the Passover; would you like me, then, to release the king of the Jews?’ At this they shouted, ‘Not this man, but Barabbas.’ Barabbas was a brigand.”  Pilate was not strong enough to stand on his principles – he tried to do the right thing but caved in to the manipulation of the chief priests and the popular demand for His death.

Jesus’ innocent suffering is required to expose and convict their hypocrisy. Isaiah prophesied, “As the crowds were appalled on seeing him – so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at him, for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before.  Without majesty, no looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrow and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces.”

Truly, Jesus did not suffer for Himself or because it was fated, but freely for our salvation.   This is the real difference between our suffering and that of Jesus.  This is what Isaiah wrote, “And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low. Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed. We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and the Lord burdened him with the sins of all of us. By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself.”  Jesus suffered and died for us.

But how can innocent and unjust suffering be the cause of our salvation?  The truth is that we are moved by someone who suffers for us in our place and not just on our behalf.  Jesus took our sins and the consequences of our sins upon Himself so that we can be moved to repentance of our sins.  St Peter wrote, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.  He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”  (1 Pt 2:22-24)  We are called to suffer for the greater good of others so that by our innocent suffering, we reveal to them the mercy and love of God.

The letter of Hebrews tells us that it is not “as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us; but we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident, then, in approaching the throne of grace, that we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.”   Jesus in His suffering could identify with our suffering so that none of us could say that that God does not understand the pain we carry in us when we suffer injustice.  But He teaches us that, in the final analysis, forgiveness is the way to heal ourselves when we are powerless over evil. Rather than using violence to fight against violence, we must overcome hatred by love, war by peace.  “Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter house, like a sheep that is dumb before its shearers never opening its mouth.”  Jesus shows that forgiveness is greater than revenge, seeking the salvation of others is greater than seeking justice.  We too must learn from our Lord to forgive those who have hurt us, who have accused us wrongly and who have misunderstood us.

We must bear our sufferings positively because we know the truth will be revealed one day, just as Jesus was vindicated by His Father at the resurrection.  The truth will finally prevail. Indeed, His innocent suffering inspired Peter, who denied our Lord, into conversion and repentance.  The centurion who saw His death said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”  (Mt 27:54) Unfortunately, Judas killed himself in despair over his sins.  However, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, the two Pharisees who were the hidden followers of Jesus, now came out to identify themselves as Jesus’ disciples. 

But we cannot do it alone.  We need the grace of God to suffer with and for others, and even at times, to take their place.  The letter of Hebrews says, “During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard.”  Like our Lord, even when He was on the cross, He prayed, “In you, O Lord, I take refuge. Let me never be put to shame. In your justice, set me free, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  Our response is the same that Christ uttered on the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  Indeed, let our innocent suffering perfect us in the love of Jesus so that, like Jesus, we can transform the lives of others and lead them to God’s love and mercy and be instruments of God’s salvation.

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Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.